Paper & Ink Part l
by donotsrock
Summary: [Complete] Hermione and Snape come in contact with a certain Potion and discover hidden feelings... 020104: Ch.5 is back up after some minor changes!
1. Default Chapter

Paper and Ink

by donotsrock

Prologue 

Professor Snape made his way through class commenting on potions and deducting house points – from those annoying Gryffindors, of course – when something in the storage cupboard caught his eye. 

Obviously, some stupid student hadn't found it necessary to be careful with his ingredients. He saw the glass jar with bug wings slightly open and right next to it was a half-empty vial that formerly contained a phoenix's heartblood mixed with its tears. 

'There is a reason why this vial was sealed', he thought. 'Do students have to be so bloody idiotic?' As to who was responsible for the mess, his bets were on Longbottom. That boy couldn't brew a potion if his life depended on it. Maybe it had been Goyle, but normally Malfoy gathered their supplies. In fact, in potions that required partner work, Malfoy never let Goyle do anything if he had to work with him. Of course, he didn't want to ruin the potion. Miss Granger on the other hand was more – civil. She let Longbottom at least get their supplies and prepare some of them. And now he had to pay for her charity. 

His scowl only deepened when he picked up the jar in his left and the vial in his right. He wasn't sure if the contents had already been mixed. That could be dangerous. And he couldn't reach for his wand, now that the glasses were in his hands. Sighing inwardly, Snape made his way back through the classroom to his desk. 

As he passed Granger, he glanced toward her cauldron and was surprised to find the contents boiling. 

"Miss Granger, why is your potion boiling? Doesn't it say 'simmer'? Explain", he snapped at her. This did nothing to improve his mood. Although he would never admit it, he had become used to Miss Granger's nearly always perfectly brewed potions. And he was used to using them. What he couldn't do when she made mistakes – or let Longbottom make them. 

"I'm waiting. Didn't you wait until the liquid was completely purple before adding the lavender?"

"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention for a moment. I was preparing the mint and mixing it with owl oil when Neville asked about the lavender and he-" She didn't have the chance to finish the sentence. 

Longbottom obviously realised that the conversation was about him and wanted to hear what he'd done wrong this time and how many house points would be taken for it. Unfortunately he didn't see his own book bag and fell forward into Hermione, who on her part leapt forward into Professor Snape. Who dropped what he was holding into her cauldron. 

Suddenly the potion stopped boiling. The colour changed from purple into yellow and then into a deep dark red. 

Snape watched the potion change and said, "Miss Granger, you may want to step back a bit. The ingredients I held were not supposed to mix with the potion. Especially when brewed in the wrong way."

But Hermione was staring into the cauldron, fascinated by the whirlwind that suddenly formed in there. 

Snape saw it, too. 'This is not good', he thought. He grabbed Miss Granger's arm and said, "Miss Granger, I insist on stepping back. This" – he gestured towards the potion with his free hand – "looks as if it's about to explode. I'm not sure about the reaction due to your… changes in brewing. So maybe we don't want to be near it when-"

The cauldron exploded and he and Miss Granger were drained in a sweet and sticky goo. 

'Great. This day is great. I smell like _candy_, for Merlin's sake.' Snape closed his eyes for a second and tried to calm himself. He'd had worse. 

With one quick glance around the room he made sure nobody was harmed. 

"I don't think I feel any different. What about you, Miss Granger?"

She shook her head. "I think I'm okay, Professor", she said. 

He realised that he was still holding her arm and released his grip. "To make sure you should go and see Madam Pomfrey – after cleaning up this mess. Longbottom, 20 Points from Gryffindor for being too stupid to walk. And another 20 for adding the lavender too early. Now help Granger."

Longbottom looked scared to death when he headed over to the storage cupboard to get the cleaning supplies. 

When Potter and Weasley stood up to look after Granger, he glared at them. "I believe you two have a potion to finish. Miss Granger can tell you later how she managed to let her first cauldron explode." At that he saw the Granger girl flinch. 'Yes, this must bugger you like hell', he thought delightful. 'At least it was worth _something_.'

Snape considered cleaning himself with a spell and letting Granger boil in the sweet potion, but decided against it. He cleaned them both with a flick of his wand. If he'd let her stay wet, she'd probably catch a flu, or worse, and he'd never get Poppy off his back. And this way he didn't have to smell the potion all day. 

"Thanks, Professor", Miss Granger mumbled and bend down again to scrub the cauldron.

Suddenly, Snape became aware of everyone else staring at them. He turned around to face the class – with a scowl so deep that Longbottom would most likely wet himself – and shouted, "Everyone stop staring and get back to work."  

With a last furious glare towards Longbottom, Snape went to his desk to take down notes. He'd do some research to ensure that there would be no after effects of the potion. And to work out what exactly hit them. 

_AN: So, do you want to know what happens next? It's a SS/HG story, so be warned if you don't like the two of them together. What potion did Neville accidentally brew?_

_The title is a song title (Tracy Chapman's Paper & Ink from her album Telling Stories). There's no reason why the story is called Paper and Ink, I just happened to hear that song when I started writing it… However, I just have to add the Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, except my sick but creative fantasies. The title belongs to Tracy Chapman (duh!) and the characters are J.K. Rowling's (as if you didn't know…)_


	2. Ways To Spend An Evening And Plotting

Chapter One – Ways To Spend An Evening – And Plotting 

Hermione fell onto her bed and buried her head under the pillow. She groaned as Crookshanks jumped onto her back and interrupted her – well, since she wasn't doing anything – her nothing-doing. She managed to get the cat off her bed and sat up. 

This day had been bad. Really bad. Potions had been the first class that morning. She had blown up her first cauldron. Well, technically it had been Neville, but she knew his tendency to... mess with potions. She should have paid more attention. In her mind she had been thinking about skipping the next Hogsmeade weekend with Harry and Ron because of the upcoming N.E.W.T.s. After all it was already October. N.E.W.T.s would come faster than everyone thought. She just had to make up a study plan. She swore never to let her attention waver in class again. Ever. 

After Potions they had Care of Magical Creatures. Of course again a class with Slytherin. And of course Malfoy and his lap dogs had bugged her all the time. 'Oh, Granger, be careful. We won't want the Blast-Ended Skrewts to explode. Oops, too late.' Hagrid had come up with the idea to take their seventh year as revision of the last six. But of all creatures he had to pick those blasted (A/N: pun intended!) Skrewts. Of course they would explode finally, not helping her situation at all.

At least Arithmancy hadn't been too bad. But Professor Vector gave them awful lot of homework to do. This day couldn't possibly get worse.

Parvati came into the room and saw her sitting there with messy hair and an exhausted look on her face. 

"Are you still worked up because of that potion? Hermione, everyone let a cauldron melt or explode in Potions. Even Malfoy, and he's second best after you. I tell you what: You go and get a long, hot bath and we two and Lavender have a girls evening. How's that?"

Hermione faked a smile. She _so_ didn't want what her roommates called a 'girls evening'. All it would be was sitting in old baggy clothes in front of the fire and talk about their favourite topics (boys, clothes, make-up) while eating cookies (she could almost hear Lavender already: 'Oh my god, after all those cookies I'll have to skip breakfast tomorrow. Maybe even lunch. I'm gonna grow fat!') and drinking hot chocolate ('But – are you sure this is low-fat?'). 

But the bath sounded great. 

Hermione smiled politely at Parvati and forced her voice not to sound sarcastically (although she doubted that Parvati would notice anyway). "Sure. That'll be great. So I see you two in the Common Room?"

"Yeah. I'll save you some cookies. You know Lavender: Once started on them, no one is able to get her away from the cookies." Parvati laughed and left the room.

"Yes, Crookshanks, isn't this the utmost definition of fun?" she asked her cat ironically, mimicking Parvati's tone of voice.

Sighing, Hermione took off her robes and went into the bathroom.

+~*#

"OK. Any suggestions?" Harry asked. 

His... partners in crime – Ron and Ginny – shook their heads. After a few seconds of thought Ginny's face lit up. "We need to pick one first," she stated.

The three sat in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, talking quietly to not be overheard. 

"OK, so what does she like, anyways?" Ron asked, taking out parchment and quill. 

"Dark hair," said Harry. "Viktor had dark hair. And maybe she likes boys with an accent. Or athletics. Ginny, why do we have to do the work? You are a girl. She is a girl. Go and find out what she likes."

"'Mione's in the bathroom, taking a bath. And later she'll have a girls evening with Lavender and Parvati. Maybe I can join."

"Good," said Ron. He dipped the quill in his inkpot and began writing: 

_What Hermione finds attractive in a man._

_One: Dark hair  _

_Two: _

"Well, we don't exactly have a second point yet, but we have almost another year to set her up with someone."

"Uh-oh. Here she comes. Try to not look suspicious. You too, Ron," Ginny muttered and went over to join Hermione, Lavender and Parvati. 

+~*#

"So tell me, 'Mione, what do you like in a man?" Ginny asked after a while. They had been talking about boys now for some time and it seemed safe to ask without drawing attention.

"Hmm? What did you say? Sorry, I was just thinking about this potion, you know," Hermione said. 

"Just what you like in a man. Tall? Dark or blond? Muscles? Something like that," Ginny replied. Lavender and Parvati were almost as eager to hear the answer to that as she herself, but not because of the same reason. 

"Oh, I don't really care."

"What? But – what if he looked like, I don't know, like Alexander Applegate?" Lavender said. Alexander Applegate was a Slytherin in sixth year who looked like a horse sat on his face all day, he had pimples all over his face and neck, his hair was greasier than Professor Snape's and he stunk. Real bad. 

"Uh, Lavender, that was extreme. Now I have to think about Justin to get that picture out of my head," Parvati said.

"I just think that there are more important things than good looks. Take intelligence or humour, for example. What use is a man when you can't even have a decent conversation?" Hermione said. She felt the urge to defend herself.

"Well, I could think of a use. Most definitely," Lavender said, wetting her bottom lip with her tongue, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. 

"Come on, 'Mione. Don't tell me you don't get turned on when a guy looks hot. Surely 'conversation' is not all, right?" Ginny dug further.

Hermione sighed. "Well, of course it helps when the guy is good-looking."

"How would you define good-looking, anyway, Hermione," Parvati asked, one eyebrow rosed. "Not as carries lots of books, right?"

"Nooo", said Hermione slowly. "For once, he has to be taller than me. I hate it when you can't even wear a little bit of a heel. And dark hair would be good. And not too many muscles, just enough, so that he's firm and all but not unnaturally built. Oh, and his hands. Long fingers, please." Hermione finished her hot chocolate and set the cup aside. She took the last cookie – followed by Lavender, who longingly glanced towards it, but said nothing. 

"Why that? I don't see –," Parvati stopped. "Why, Hermione, naughty girl, you. I never knew."

Hermione blushed. That was not what she had meant. But trying to explain would just make it worse, so she smiled mysteriously and ate her cookie. 

"Girls, I'm tired. I'm gonna call it a night and get to bed. Goodnight," Hermione finally said after another hour of talking about clothes and make-up. 

She went off to her room and once again had to get Crookshanks off her bed before lying down and drifting off to sleep.

+~*#

After several attempts to recreate Longbottoms potion, Snape finally gave up for the day. He had some other potions to brew as well. So it was late at night when Professor Severus Snape finally bottled the last potion he'd been brewing. He carefully sealed and labelled the vial that now contained a slightly yellow liquid. In a swift motion he wrote 'Luweldola's Anger-Erasing Potion' across the label and put the vial into his potions cupboard. He emptied the cauldron with a flick of his wand and collected the remains of the ingredients. After storing them in his supplies cupboard, he headed towards his chambers. They were – as almost all student assumed – down in the dungeons, so his way was not that long. He just had to go across the hall to get to the portrait of Bravado the Beast. 

"Hey Jude," he told the pacing figure of Bravado and waited for the picture to swing aside and reveal the secret passage that lead to his living room. Dumbledore had been wondering about his strange password, considering that it was the song title of a no 1 hit of the Beatles, some muggle band, but the explanation was quite simple. The only students down in the dungeons were Slytherins – except for those students in his potion classes – and they were not likely to try something like a muggle song title as password. So even if they knew where his entrance was, they would never figure out how to get in. Hell, even if that know-it-all brat Granger knew where it was, she just would try things like 'mudblood', 'torturing students' or 'poison'. He was Snape, after all. The most feared teacher at Hogwarts. 

Bravado swung aside and interrupted Professor Snape's thoughts. "'Night, Professor," the deep voice of Bravado echoed through the deserted hallway. 

Snape didn't bother to respond. He stepped through the hole in the wall and walked down the narrow corridor in front of him. As he passed, the torches alongside the walls magically lit and everything was bathed in the mild light of the flames. 

Reaching his comfortable living room, Snape unbuttoned his robes and tossed them over the sofa. Walking over to the side table, he poured himself a drink and decided to settle down for a little reading. Snape set his glass onto the heavy wooden table by his favourite armchair and crossed the room towards his private library. It contained several expensive – and very rare – limited first edition copies of essential magical subjects – although most were of course about potions or the Dark Arts –, as well as the basics of magical and muggle literature. Actually, his library could rival Hogwarts' very own library in any point – and outdo it. 

Filing through the long rows of books, he once in a while took one book out of the shelf, just to put it back again. He wasn't in the mood to read anything about potions at the moment. The potion he'd done earlier surely hadn't helped with that. It had been his sixth attempt and the only reason he wasn't angry about the fact that it had taken him this long was that he had tested it. At least he had the proof he'd been successful. 

Snape moved over to his section of wizarding literature. He surely wasn't in the mood for wizarding poetry and therefore dismissed the idea of reading 'Sixteen ways to rhyme the word slime'. 

Finally he reached the shelf that held his muggle books. Every time he went to London, he went into a muggle bookstore and bought the top ten books of the current bestsellers list. This way he kept up with the developments in muggle literature as well as it entertained him. Over the years he also purchased a large amount of muggle 'classics'. 

'The Tale of King Arthur' didn't sound too bad, and to be honest, he'd always liked Merlin. He was supposed to be one of the greatest wizards ever, although the muggles had a completely wrong picture of him. At least some humour in the book. 

With the decision made he grabbed the book and returned to his living room, poured himself another glass of firewhiskey and settled down of the sofa.

_AN: Next one will be with more action… ::grins smugly:: … oh yeah… action_


	3. Dreams

Chapter Two – Dreams 

_The day was like any other day in his life. He got up, took a shower, got dressed, made a short stop at the Great Hall for breakfast – before everyone else came down – and then went back to his quarters for some potion brewing in his private laboratory before classes._

_Nevertheless it felt as if something was different, but he couldn't name it. Every time his mind wanted to go into that direction, the thought just slipped away. And this irritated him. So he worried the whole morning what it was. _

_Had he forgotten something? Was he supposed to do something? Was someone else supposed to do something and he had to supervise them? _

It was in class when it hit him like lightning. He loved her. Like nothing else in the world. And with Voldemort gone he wouldn't have to worry about her every time he left the castle. It would be perfectly safe. Safe to love her as well. He just knew it.

He got nervous. What should he do now? Yes, he loved her. That was for sure. But would she feel the same? What if she didn't? What if she loved someone else? He surely wouldn't survive that. 

He started to pace. When he came by one of his students' desks, he glanced at the potion and started to shout at that insufferable git. He surely couldn't get any potion right. Then he realized that she stared at him, with a strange look in her eyes. 

Instead of shouting at her as well – as he would normally have – he just stared back. Seconds, minutes passed, maybe even hours. He wouldn't know. He was captivated. Her eyes were a shining cinnamon brown and it felt as if nothing mattered except the look in those eyes. Almost… loving. Could it be? Could he hope that those feelings were mutual?

She slowly rose from her seat and approached him carefully… anxious. 

He was paralysed. He couldn't move and just barely breathe. If she comes any closer, I'm afraid my heart will stop beating, he thought. But at the same time he just wished for her to be near him, as near as possible. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to breathe in the sweet scent of her hair and her skin, to kiss every inch of her body and never let her go again. 

Even more slowly she hesitantly reached out and gently touched his left hand with hers. Automatically he closed his fingers around hers and reached for her other hand. Their fingers entwined. 

He bent down while she stood on her toes and finally their lips met in a soft and tender kiss. 

After some time – much too soon, in Severus' opinion – she broke the lip contact and looked up to him. 

He cupped her face with his hands and gently stroke her cheeks with his thumbs. "You are all I ever dreamed of", he whispered.

"I love you", she simply replied and he pulled her close. He felt her arms slide around his waist as she returned his hug. 

"And I love you", he said, his face buried in her bushy hair. It smelled of vanilla and roses – a strange combination, but the most beautiful he ever smelled. 

And once more they kissed, more deeply this time. Her hand moved under his robes and his own hand wandered off to her hips. 

She broke the kiss once more and seductively smiled up to him. In a low, husky voice she said: "Severus, I want to feel you inside me."

Gladly he picked her up and –

"What the hell-" 

Severus Snape lay on the sofa in his living room. He was confused. The images of this dream were still vivid in his head.

He stood up and streched his sore muscles. This sofa was comfortable to sit and read, but to sleep he really preferred his bed. Still, he couldn't get the images out of his head. Looking down he realized that his lower region apparently had the same problem. 

This just wasn't true. He didn't have sex dreams about students, least of all Hermione Granger. He was just overworked. 

He would go and take a very long, very cold shower to wash away his erection and preferably the image of Hermione Granger proposing to have sex with him. 

+~*#

_This day was not different from any other day before. Hermione got up, took a simple skirt and a blouse as well as her black robes out of her dresser, brushed her teeth, went down into the Great Hall for breakfast with Ron and Harry and had a short stop at the library before classes. The only thing that was not as always was that she actually looked forward to have Potions. Yes, Hermione Granger loved studying and school, but she didn't feel the same joy before a Potions class she felt before Transfiguration, for example. But today she would really love Potions. She was sure of it._

_Professor Snape entered the room in his usual, loud way by slamming the door into the wall and hence silencing every student. He shortly gave orders and the students started to work on their potions. Hermione didn't much care what Neville did, as long as he didn't blow her up – again. He glanced at Professor Snape. He wore his usual black robes that billowed behind him with every step he paced around the room. He had his long, slim fingers folded behind his back and held his head high. Everyone else would have looked arrogant, but he just looked… solemn. _

_He suddenly started shouting and she jumped. He stood next to her and Neville's table. Neville must have done something wrong. _

_She looked from Neville to the cauldron and back to Professor Snape. She was not afraid. She took in every inch of his face. His skin was pale white but his eyes were almost black. His hooked nose surely was eye-catching. Strands of his black hair fell into his face and covered his lovely eyes. But suddenly he lifted his face and turned towards her._

_She realized that she had been staring at him. His obsidian eyes pierced her cinnamon browns. Despite his intense gaze she didn't avert her eyes. She didn't want to. They stared at each other for seconds, minutes, maybe even hours. _

_She felt as if all mistakes she made suddenly didn't matter anymore. All that mattered were those dark but somehow shining eyes of his. If she were to name one thing that she'd have to look at for the rest of her life – she would pick those eyes. They held so much passion, depth and also a trace of darkness as well as insecurity and hope. And so much more beneath the obvious. I love him, she thought. I love him._

_She slowly rose from her seat and walked towards him. How would he react? Would he be angry and shout at her? Would he call her stupid? Or worse – a child? She would surely be expelled for this. But then again – she wasn't sure she'd want to stay near him should he reject her. She wouldn't want to live with thought of him laughing at her stupid, childish crush on a teacher. _

_But he didn't back away. And their eyes never lose contact._

_Encouraged by this, she hesitantly took his left hand. Her heart jumped in her chest when he not only held her hand tight but also reached out for her other hand and entwined his fingers with hers. _

_She stood on her toes to reach up to him while he bent down towards her. The kiss was soft and tender. _

_After some time she broke the kiss. She wanted to say what was on her mind. She looked up at him but as soon as his hand cupped her face and his thumbs began to gently strike her cheeks, she couldn't think any more. She just couldn't think straight enough to say a word, that much did such a tender and light touch to her. She didn't even want to think of what his body would do to her. It already made her knees shake. _

_"You are all I ever dreamed of", he whispered. _

_Her heart stopped beating for a second and then her thoughts rushed back into her head all at one time. _

_"I love you", she simply said. She could tell him everything else later. Now this was most important._

_He pulled her close and she put her arms around his waist. He smelled good. Like sandelwood and asphodel. And something else she couldn't quite place._

_"And I love you", he said near her ear into her hair. She buried her head in his shoulder before they kissed once again. His hands moved from her back down to her hips and she started to look for a way to get him out of those robes. _

_When she wasn't as successful as she'd hoped, she broke the kiss and smiled up to him. _

_"Severus, I want to feel you inside me", she said the one thing that had been buried deep inside of her head for some time now. _

He picked her up and – 

"Oh my God", Hermione exclaimed and sat up in bed. 

She was breathing fast and her skin was sweaty. She could almost still feel the touch of his hands and could taste his lips. 

'Whoa, wait, Hermione', she told herself. 'This is Snape you think about. Snape, the greasy git. The overgrown bat. The guy who never laughs and only smiles when he's being especially mean to his non-Slytherin students.'

She shook her head as if to clear it. 

'But still… He has something… He is intelligent, sometimes even humorous – when he isn't too mean – and he doesn't look that bad', she thought. She got up to go into the bathroom. Luckily Lavender and Parvati didn't wake up. She surely wouldn't tell them about the dream. After all she didn't want the two to start interpreting it. Oh no, she would keep that to herself – certainly. 

Hermione splashed some cold water into her face and stared into the mirror above the sink. 

"Okay, Hermione, it was just a dream", she told herself. She dried her face and once again looked into her own eyes.

"Professor Snape just happened to be in that dream because you are still worried about that cauldron explosion. No need to worry," she assured herself. "You can forget about it and never again think about it." 

She nodded shortly and went back to bed. 

AN: Yes, the similarity of the dreams was intended. They are actually dreaming the very same dream…


	4. Awkwardness And More Plotting

Chapter Three – Awkwardness – And More Plotting 

The next morning, Snape started his usual routine and was once more glad that he didn't have to face much people this early. Especially a certain Gryffindor whom he avoided thinking of. Luckily he didn't have seventh year Potions class today. That would give him some time to cool off. The shower had done wonders – but he wasn't sure how he would react standing next to her desk in class. He could still feel her touch and the wonderful smell of her hair still lingered in his nose. 

'Stop it already', he chided himself. 'You are acting like some hormonal teenage boy. She is a student. Have some self-control!'

He quickly finished his tea and got up. Concentrating on his research with a potion he stormed out of the Great Hall. 

Someone bumped into him. 

Irritated he prepared himself to shout at whoever it was and deduct some house points – if it wasn't a Slytherin. But then he saw that it was the one person he didn't want to see, let alone have physical contact with – Hermione Granger. She looked about as bad as he felt, so he skipped the shouting and instead deepened his scowl. 

"Miss Granger", he tried his best to sound irritated, which was not that difficult. "I thought you would have learned by now how to avoid running into people", he snarled. He let out the fact that it could as possibly have been him running into her – he hadn't paid much attention to where he was going.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was – distracted", Hermione managed to say after some seconds of awkward silence. She blushed. 

He didn't want to spent more time than necessary in close proximity to her. 

"Ten points from Gryffindor. And pay more attention." He turned and walked quickly towards the dungeons. 

He wanted to get the image of Hermione's full lips – and what they could do – out of his mind. He was grateful for his wide robes that didn't show how unsuccessful he was with this. 

+~*#

Hermione stared after Snape but caught herself and quickly went into the Great Hall. It was almost empty except for some second year Slytherins and a pair of fifth year Ravenclaws. 

She sat down at her usual place and summoned a cup of tea and some toast. She didn't feel very hungry but would need her strength. She had Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts and after lunch Care for Magical Creatures. Luckily no Potions class today. And after that… encounter outside the Great Hall she was even more glad about that. She just couldn't stand Snape for the day. She needed some time to focus on something else than his slim fingers and his mysterious eyes and his – 

'Stop, Hermione!', she chided herself and stood up. 'Best to go to the library to read a bit.'

This time she carefully avoided running into people.

+~*#

"Where's 'Mione?", Harry asked when he sat down at the Gryffindor table. 

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Lavender said she was up quite early. I suppose she's somewhere in the library, studying."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He summoned some bacon and eggs as well as a cup of tea and began eating. 

"So, what did she say, last night?", Ron asked between bites of his toast. 

Ginny took out a piece of parchment and handed it to her brother. "I wrote it down, so I won't forget a thing. You can copy it and complete the list you started. I suppose dinner would be a good time to start looking around. Hardly anyone misses dinner and Hermione is helping Amadia Davenport from third year with her paper about 'Transfiguration and Animagi'. I'm sure Amadia can keep her occupied a little longer, so that we can set her up."

"Wow, Ginny, you are quite the planner, hm?", Harry said, chewing.

Ginny smiled and shrugged again. 

"So, dinner, then?", Ron asked and Ginny nodded. 

"Yep. We will find the perfect match for her."

"We should be going, classes start in ten minutes", Harry reminded his friends and they made their way out of the Great Hall along with masses of students. 

Neville came running down the stairs in the Entrance Hall and shouted, "Hey, wait for me!"

They kindly waited till a red-faced Neville came to a stop before them, out of breath and still sleepy. 

"Oh my, first I fell back asleep and then those stupid stairs changed and I ended up near the Astronomy Tower. It took me quite a while to come here. Breakfast is over, right? But I'm so hungry."

"Here", said Harry and gave Neville an apple. He had saved it for later, but he could as well wait till lunch. 

"Thanks. So, what else did I miss?"

+~*#

Hermione sat down next to Ron in the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom and took out a book. She had tried to focus on its contents the time between breakfast and Transfiguration, but hadn't memorized a word. So she took it out and began to read the last chapter once more. 

She was interrupted by their teacher Professor Sweet entering the room.

She hastily put the book away and got her notebook and a quill out. 

"Today we will analyse the final battle in the second Goblin war – in which wizards took sides as well – and we will examine their techniques", said Professor Sweet and conjured a large map of south Wales, where said battle had taken place. "Then we will search for ways to improve their techniques and prepare next lesson, when we re-do some of their spells to test their effectiveness."

Professor Sweet moved around her desk and  took out their book. "Page 142. In the picture you can see that the battle took place in a forest. Can anybody tell me what advantages this has?"

Hermione had her hand in the air before the question was fully out, but she didn't really pay attention to the lesson. She was still thinking about Snape. But that was not what annoyed her so much. 

It was that she couldn't tell why she was so focused on him. 

It made her grumpy. 

Even Ron had noticed this morning on their way from the Transfiguration classroom. 

'Don't think about him', she repeated over and over in her head, like a mantra. 

Finally, her Defence against the Dark Arts class was over and she could go to get lunch.

Sitting down next to Harry, she filled her plate with potatoes and vegetables, but no meat. She only ate meat once or twice a week. 

"Hey, Hermione, what's wrong? Not hungry?", asked Harry. 

"Hm?"

"You aren't eating."

"Oh", she said and took a bit of potato. "I'm just thinking about out assignment in Transfiguration. I know exactly what books I need. I'll go to the library later."

"Boy, Snape looks more annoyed than usual. I'm just glad we don't have Potions today", said Ron. "If looks could kill… no one would be alive anymore."

"Yeah", agreed Harry. 

Hermione reluctantly glanced up at the High Table. Professor Snape sat next to Professor Sinistra who talked to him. He didn't seem to notice. Or he just didn't care to respond. His thin lips were just one straight line, and he seemed to be gritting his teeth. The fingers of his right hand nervously drummed on the table. He didn't eat but occasionally took a sip out of his silver goblet. 

Suddenly he seemed to have enough. He turned towards Professor Sinistra and said something. By the look on Sinistra's face it hadn't been nice. She looked sour and turned demonstratively to Professor McGonagall and began chatting again. McGonagall shot a look at Snape, who didn't care. 

"Hello, Earth to Hermione. Are you in there?" Ginny waved her hand in front of Hermione's eyes and grinned. Obviously she and Harry had switched places, so that Ginny now sat next to Hermione while Harry sat across the table next to Ron.

"What? Sorry, the Transfiguration assignment. I – what did you say?" Hermione tried to smile but just got out a half-hearted grin.

"I wanted to know if you could help me with my Charms homework. Maybe this evening?"

"Alright. I'll meet you in the library at 8 o'clock."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome", Hermione answered. Her eyes were once again drawn to the High Table. Suddenly, Snape turned his head and looked her straight in the eye. 

She blushed and turned away. 

"Hey guys, I'll see you in the grounds, I have to go and, er, fetch my book. I left it in the dormitory."

"I'll go with you", said Ginny. 

Together they left the Great Hall.

_AN: Short, eventless, boring… sorry, I guess I wasn't on top. Next one will be longer and better… I promise._

_Thanks everyone for reviewing…_

_Thanks to Jgo for helping me with the rating… it is now R for teacher-student-realtionship and sex._

_And arrow-card: I didn't quite understand your review. Does it mean you didn't like it? Then I'm sorry…_

_I hope you enjoyed this one… the next will be up soon._


	5. Confessions

Chapter Four – Confessions 

"Okay, 'Mione. What's up?", asked Ginny as soon as they entered the Gryffindor common room.

"The opposite of down?", she tried. 

"Come on. You know what I mean. You are acting weird. The whole day."

Hermione sighed. She let herself fall into one of the comfortable leather armchairs in front of the fireplace. "I know."

"So, why?", asked Ginny. She sat down facing Hermione. Her expression showed curiosity as well as concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. It's just…" Hermione stopped. Should she or should she not tell Ginny? She would keep quiet. But she could also burst out laughing and that wouldn't help her at all.

"Come on. You know you can trust me. If you don't want anyone else to know, I won't tell them. I'm your friend, remember?", Ginny tried again. She smile reassuringly and placed a hand on Hermione's forearm. 

"Okay. It's just that I had a really strange dream last night and I'm confused."

"What was the dream about?" Ginny looked more concerned now. "It wasn't a nightmare, was it?"

"No", Hermione said quickly. "Quite the opposite, actually."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Really?", she said sceptically.

"Yeah. It was about… a man."

"Who?"

"Well, that's the problem: it was Professor Snape", Hermione said. She bit her bottom lip and stared into the fire, avoiding her friends eyes.

"I don't see a problem", Ginny said. She gently squeezed Hermione's arm and smiled. "He doesn't look that bad."

"I know. But it's Snape. And the dream was really, well…"

Ginny's smile was accompanied by a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Hot?"

"Hmm." Hermione blushed again.

"Come on, Mione. That's nothing to be ashamed of. It was just a dream. It just indicates that you need a boyfriend."

"What?" Hermione looked appalled. 

"Well, emotionally needy, are we? So, I'm on a mission."

"Mission?", Hermione echoed with a thin voice.

"Yes. To find you a boyfriend. Preferably someone who is not a complete idiot."

Ginny rose to her feet and picked up her bag. "We have to go. Classes start in five minutes", she said and dragged Hermione out of the common room. 

Before they parted in the Entrance Hall – Hermione out into the grounds of Hogwarts for Hagrid's class and Ginny for Charms with Professor Flitwick – Hermione hugged her friend.   
"Thanks for listening. I'm feeling better already. See you in the library at eight."

"Bye."

+~*#

Severus Snape paced back and forth in his classroom. The last students had left and he was alone. The whole day he'd tried to get Hermione Granger out of his head – only causing him to think about her almost permanently. 

Lunch had been a torture. Sybill Trelawny had droned on and on about some prophecies she'd made and how the 'Inner Eye' controlled her life. He'd shut her out and focused on the far wall of the Great Hall instead. He managed to avoid Gryffindor table most of the time. Then something Sybill said caught his attention. Something about finding what he needed and fate deciding for him to have a new love in his life. That had been it. He'd lost his temper and forcibly calm he had told her to sod off and bore someone else to death with her rubbish. She'd looked hurt for a moment, but he didn't care. He didn't like the woman much.

After a comment about having seen him acting like this weeks ago, she had turned to Minerva and went on with her chatter. Minerva'd shot daggers out of her eyes. Severus snickered at the thought of Minerva MGonagall, helpless and forced to be polite and caring towards Sybill. He knew fully well that Minerva held Sybill Trelawny about as high as he himself, which was quite low. 

Drawing a little satisfaction out of getting rid of Sybill, he'd let his gaze wander through the hall. He scowled at students and when his gaze fell on a certain Gryffindor, he had wanted to test himself. He stared at her, trying to find out what made him feel insecure and uncertain when he was near her, trying to find out why she was in his dreams and in his thoughts. 

But then she looked up and he failed miserable in maintaining his cool.

She blushed and looked away. 

That was unexpected. Normally, Miss Granger didn't feel intimidated by him, not anymore and come to think of it, she never had feared him as much as any of her fellow students. And she surely didn't blush only at the sight of him. There had to be an explanation. His gaze wandered on. 

Of course, Potter and Weasley. One of them must have said something… inappropriate to Miss Granger, that caused her odd behaviour. 

Nevertheless, he had failed his own test. He could still feel her hands on his chest although they never really had been there in the first place. And he still wanted to kiss her. 

He growled in frustration. 'This just can't be true. It has to be a nightmare. Yes, just a nightmare', he assured himself.

He shook his head as if to clear it and headed out of the dungeons towards the library. He would need some extra reading material from the restricted section – a volume he didn't have in his own library – to go on with the research on Longbottom's potion. 

+~*#

"Okay, get 'Charms and Hexes: A Summary' and 'Advanced Charms'. They are in the back. I'll get everything else", Hermione said to Ginny. The tall redhead nodded and went to pick up the requested books. Hermione settled her bag on one of the tables and went to gather the other books they would need. 

When Ginny came back with two heavy-looking and dusty books in her arms, Hermione already had her quill out and took notes. She looked up and set the quill down. 

"The Illusion Charm is quite difficult. You should check the references made in this book", she said, gesturing to a book on Ginny's side of the table. "Then, you should make a list concerning the disadvantages and the advantages of this certain charm. You should work out when it is useful to use this particular charm and when it would be wise to use another charm or spell. And give opportunities for alternative charms, Flitwick loves to hear this. He thinks it indicates free-mindedness and creativeness."

Ginny nodded and looked rather sceptical at the books in front of her. 

"I wrote it down for you", said Hermione, much to Ginny's relief. "I'll be working on my calculations for Arithmancy."

"Thank you, 'Mione."

The girls worked in silence. Neither of them noticed the dark figure lurking in the shadows of the shelves, watching them. At least not until the man stepped out of the shadows and addressed one of the girls. 

"Miss Granger?"

Her head jerked up. She almost looked as if she got caught during any rule-breaking, he mused. 

"Yes, sir?"

"I came here to pick up a book I needed for my research. However, on my way here I met the Headmaster. He told me you wanted to take additional studies in Potions and suggested I should include you in my research", Professor Snape said in his usual snarl.

"Um…", she seemed to hesitate. 

"Yes, Professor. Of course she will", said Ginny Weasley with a huge smile on her face. He scowled at her and her smile seemed to falter a bit. "Am I right, Hermione?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you, sir." Miss Granger seemed to be deeply upset. But then she regained her composure and straightened her shoulders. "When do we start?", she asked.

"Now."

"Oh, all right. I just have to--" She gestured towards the mess on the table.

"Don't worry. I'll clean up here and bring your stuff back to the dormitory", Ginny said and began packing Hermione's things into her schoolbag. 

"Miss Granger, if you truly want to take part in my research, I suggest you stop wasting my time. However, if standing in the library and watching Miss Weasley collect your things is what you call 'research', then you may as well forget about this." Professor Snape's cold, impatient voice almost made her wince. But she raised her chin and said, "Where do we start?"

+~*#

Unwilling to acknowledge her presence, Snape made no attempt to slow his pace. Miss Granger almost had to run to keep up with him. But she didn't complain and he just didn't want to talk to her – or even think of her being this near to him. 

He was still furious. He had tried to talk Albus out of it, but knew as well that there was no way out of it. Once Albus Dumbledore had an idea, he made sure to let this idea come true. And now he'd had the idea of Miss Granger helping him in his potions lab. 

He didn't like the idea. 

He'd never let anyone near his private lab except for Albus, and he surely didn't wish to let in any students. Especially not Miss Granger. 

About a week ago, he may have thought slightly different of that, but now things had changed. Miss Granger was brilliant, a prodigy. This earned her his respect. He surely would not have objected this hard last week. But now… he couldn't stand the thought of her near him, especially in his place of refuge, his sanctuary.

He'd simply try to ignore her. Try to talk to her only when absolutely necessary and be mean whenever he could. Take off house points.

But yet he was aware of her warm body directly behind him. He could hear her accelerated breathing and her footsteps on the stone floor. 

'God, why does this have to be so hard', Severus cringed inwardly. 'Wrong choice of words, mate. Wrong choice of words.'

+~*#

Hermione tried to keep up with his pace. She almost had to run, and she could feel anger rise inside of her. 'Does he always have to be such a complete arse?', she wondered. 'Why can't he be nice once and again, for a change?'

She was just glad she didn't have to carry her bookbag. That would've been too much.

And somehow she could be grateful that she was angry. Angry was definitely better than horny. 

'But he is kinda cute when he's mean… Oh, bad Hermione, don't think about it. Potions Master, TEACHER, do you wanna be expelled?'

She gritted her teeth and made a list of Polyjuice Potion ingredients to keep her thoughts straight. 

But despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but check out his figure once or twice… or more frequently. 

+~*#

They had been working in complete silence for over two hours now. And it seemed to work. Snape could keep his mind out of the gutter, and so did Hermione. 

"Professor, why does it change the colour? The potion was more red than purple before your additional ingredients… fell into it. I know that Neville added the lavender before it was completely purple, but it should have been purple nonetheless." Hermione stared into the cauldron. 

"So, you mean that the potion had been deficient before adding the lavender?" Snape moved to stand beside Hermione and stared into the cauldron as well. 

"Yes, that could be it. No wonder we haven't found anything yet. We were looking at the wrong end. What would cause the change of colour?" Hermione picked up a quill. To do so she had to reach across the table and involuntarily had to bent over in Snape's direction. He was electrified. 'I could touch her right now. I just have to reach out and I could touch her beautiful face. Kiss her and… Stop it there. She's a STUDENT and you are her TEACHER. You will do no such thing if you want to remain a teacher', he said to himself. 'But teaching is overrated: Those dunderheads trying to create a potion of value, that alone is a contradiction.'

He mentally smacked himself over the head and walked around the table to get a little distance between them. 

"Only adding blossoms of the Devil's Kiss could do this. But they are not required in this potion. It's impossible." Snape went over to the supplies cupboard and took out leafs and blossoms of the Devil's Kiss. "They would cause some sort of counter reaction and work against the lavender."

"Er… and what if there wasn't any lavender, but only Devil's Kiss?", Hermione asked hesitantly. A horrible thought formed in her mind. "I was very distracted that day and… Devil's Kiss looks a lot like lavender…"

"No. You wouldn't have", Snape said icily. "Why the hell didn't you control the ingredients? You know as well as anybody that Longbottom couldn't brew a potion to save his life", he shouted. "Besides, they only look alike in the slightest. Of course, only a complete fool like Longbottom could mix those two up." He sighed. 

"I'm sorry, but as I said, I was distracted. And normally Neville gets the ingredients straight. He's one of the best in Herbology. It's the brewing. That's his problem. And your shouting at him doesn't help much, you know", she said, angry. 

He couldn't believe it. She dared to talk back to him… to him, the most feared and most hated Potions Master in Hogwarts' whole history. He couldn't help it: He thought it was cute. And it turned him on to no end. 

"Of course, that's it!" He withstood the urge to smack his forehead and felt his anger subside. 

Hermine stared at him. 'OK, now I know that being in the dungeons too much has an influence on one's mind. Did he just _agree_ with me?'

"If you add Devil's Kiss instead of lavender, it reverses the effect of the potion. Normally, the bug wings and a phoenix' tears and heartblood create a powerful potion that invokes hatred. But the Devil's Kiss reversed the effect and we came in contact with a… Love Potion, I'm afraid."

Hermione swallowed. "Good", she murmured.

"What?", he said. "We were in direct physical contact. The potion will reach its complete effectiveness after a few days. We… we would…" He stopped. "You just have no idea what this potion can do to two people."

"I read about it. And I didn't mean it this way. It just explained… certain things." She blushed again and refused to look at him. The dark stone floor seemed to be more interesting. 

"Like what?" He needed to know. If it was just a potion, then everything was all right. They'd brew an antidote before anything… inappropriate could happen, and everything would be normal again. 

"I… I had a dream… about… I don't want to talk about it. It's… personal." She sat down and buried her face in her hands. 'Could this be more embarrassing. Confessing to have that kind of dream of a teacher, and not just any teacher, no it has to be HIM. Oh, I will kill Neville with my bare hands. Maybe I'll tickle him to death with a Devil's Kiss.' Hermione cautiously lifted her head and found Professor Snape staring at her. As usual, she couldn't read his expression, but she saw a change in it. She couldn't name it, but something was different. 'Oh, yes, the potion. He must… Oh God, when I have this kind of dreams, he also…' Hermione blushed again. 

He watched her. When she lifted her face, he stared at her. He could read her expression like an open book. She was angry, and embarrassed, and uncertain what to do. She didn't know how to react to this. And she seemed to realize she wasn't the only one suffering from the potion. 'Although, if torture always was this cute, I could live with it.'

"Yes, Miss Granger, you assumed right. I am not immune to the effects of the potion either. I suggest we avoid each other while I work on an antidote."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. I think that would be best." She stood up and he handed her her robe. 

When she reached out, their hands touched. They both stared at their hands until he pulled back as if he'd been burned.

"You should go now." His voice seemed to tremble slightly. 

'Oh my… Just a tiny little touch and the sound of his voice, and I'm all worked up. I don't want to know what a kiss would do.' Hermione shuddered. She _did_ want to know what a kiss would do. And she didn't want to go. But she made her way towards the door nonetheless.

He followed her. "It is past curfew. I should escort you back to your dormitory."

She nodded and together they made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. This time he walked slower and she didn't have to run to keep up. 

After some minutes she couldn't keep quite anymore. If she didn't talk about something – _anything_ – she would only think about his arse, or his hands or-- 'Oh, stop it already!'

"So, when do you think the antidote will be ready?"

"I think in about a day or two." 

Again, silence settled. Only their footsteps on the stone floor could be heard and their breathing. 

'Hermione, think of something to say, think, girl, you are the one who's supposed to think all the time. God, why is my head so empty… well, except for images of… grr! Stop it!'

"Why wasn't I made Head Girl this year? I have the best grades in the whole school", she blurted out. 

He raised an eyebrow. She definitely wanted to occupy herself. "Your grades weren't the problem. Do you know how many school rules you and your two pathetic friends broke over the years. You almost beat the Weasley twins."

"Oh", she said. "I should have thought about that." Pause. "And why was Malfoy made Head Boy? He broke rules, too. And he's mean."

Snape bit back a smile and tried to look irritated. 'God, she _is_ cute.' He snorted. "What do you think?"

"His father bribed the Minister, this pathetic excuse for a man, and Fudge talked – and I mean threatened – Dumbledore to get him sacked. Oh, and Malfoy senior came to Hogwarts at the end of last year."

He nodded. "Something like that. He used his money and his title. Dumbledore may be the strongest wizard of the century, but he has many opponents. Many parents would rather see someone else as Headmaster, and Malfoy has ways to arrange… compromising situations that would force Dumbledore to leave."

"This whole family is just so… so… I don't know. They're just… arrogant and think they're so much better, but in reality, they are just beneath us all. But why didn't Dumbledore change Draco's being Head Boy after the end of the war? Lucius Malfoy surely can't do anything from Azkaban, can he?"

Severus shrugged. "I don't know. But I've known Lucius Malfoy for a long time and he's not the person to just give up. Until he's finally administered the Dementor's Kiss, I wouldn't feel safe."

They reached the portrait of the fat lady. She was sound asleep. 

"Well…" Hermione's gaze wandered from Snape to the portrait and back.

"Good night, then."

"Yeah, good night." 

Professor Snape turned around and walked away. She watched him walk along the corridor and turn around the corner. 

She sighed and tried to wake the fat lady. 

"Phoenix feathers", she said loudly and ignored the irritated tirade from the fat lady. She just wanted to get into bed. 

Around the corner, Professor Snape waited till she was safe inside the common room. He just hoped this would be over soon. He was glad that the next day would be Friday. He'd have the whole weekend to brew the antidote and maybe everything would be back to normal on Monday. 

_AN: Was Ginny's reaction plausible? And what about my explanation to what potion hit them? Did you understand me? I must confess, this is my first fic in English and I apologise for mistakes and maybe wrong choice of words… Hope you still like it! _

_To Raquelos: Thanks a lot, I changed it!! _

_And to everyone else who reviewed: THANKS!_


	6. The Forgotten Friends Get Some Action

Chapter Five – More Dreams And A Very Strange Morning 

Hermione went upstairs to the girls' dormitory and quietly opened the door to her room. Lavender and Parvati were asleep already – 'Of course', she thought to herself, 'It's in the middle of the night!' – and she had to be careful not to wake them. She didn't feel like answering questions. She'd get enough of questions from Ginny in the morning.

She slowly undressed and put her sleepshirt on. She shooed Crookshanks off her bed – with a protesting 'Meow!' from his side – and slid under the covers. 

She couldn't sleep. She tried counting sheep, listing every charm, spell, hex and jinx she knew, even going through all the potions she created – only to be distracted by the image of a slightly irritated Potions Master, staring at her from across the room. 

'Stop thinking', she told herself. 'Stop thinking and you will, eventually, fall asleep.'

It was Potions class again. Hermione couldn't wait till it ended.

_"You two go along. I have some questions to ask on our N.E.W.T.s. I'll catch up with you at dinner", Hermione said to Harry and Ron. They shrugged and turned to leave with the rest of the students. _

_Hermione walked up to his desk and set her bag down to the floor. She looked up to his face as he stood up. His expression was neutral. _

_He went to shut the door – casting a warding spell – and turned around to her. Crossing the room again, he stood right in front of her in no time. God, she couldn't see why people didn't think he was attractive. Were they blind? Everyone with eyes and a bit of a brain could see how engaging his personality was._

_"You… wanted to ask a question", he said, his silky voice sending shivers through her spine. _

_She nodded and took a step towards him, closing the last bit of distance. "I was wondering…"_

_She bit her lower lip, thinking of a way to say what she wanted… trying not to be distracted by the nearness of him… of his warm body so close to her._

_"Yes?", he whispered, sounding almost… seductive._

"I was wondering if you could show me… where you live… sleep", her voice trailed off, getting more quiet towards the end of the sentence.

He looked surprised, but took her hand, gently stroking the back of her hand. She almost swooned at the contact and submissively followed him to the door of the classroom.

He carefully checked for students in the hall, but never let go of her hand. She felt completely safe at that moment.

She didn't pay much attention to her surroundings, she was too distracted by his hand, tracing slow circles across the back of her hand. She bit back a sigh. 

Soon they stood in front of an ugly painting. 

He said the password ("Hey Jude" – 'odd', she thought) and led her into his living room. But they didn't stay there long. He turned towards one of the doors and then they stood in his bedchamber. 

She paused and watched their surroundings. Suddenly he bent down and kissed her passionately. They moved towards the bed and –

'Damn', Hermione thought. 'Now _that_ was frustrating. Just holding hands and _one_ kiss.'

She sighed and got up. It was nearly four o'clock in the morning. She pulled her robes over her sleepshirt and put on the fluffy pink slippers (a present from Lavender). She went down to the common room, but suddenly felt a bit peckish. She decided to sneak up into the boys' room and 'borrow' Harry's Invisibility cloak to go down to the kitchens and grab a bite. 

+~*#

It was Potions class again. Snape was almost anxiously waiting for it to end. Finally, the student packed their bags and left the classroom. 

_He saw her, telling the two idiots to go ahead. _

_The last student left the classroom and the two of them were alone. She walked up to his desk and set her bag down to the floor. He stood up and she looked him in the face, her expression unreadable. _

_He went to shut the door – casting a warding spell – and turned around to her. She was so beautiful. Crossing the room again, he stood right in front of her in no time. He wanted to touch her… wanted to feel her soft skin under his hands… taste her… love her._

_"You…wanted to ask a question", he said, not sure what to do. She seemed so… fragile. _

_She nodded and took a step towards him, closing the last bit of distance. "I was wondering…"_

_She bit her lower lip and looked him in the eye with an almost… seductive expression on her face._

"Yes?", he whispered, not trusting his voice. 

_"I was wondering if you could show me… where you live… sleep", her voice trailed off, getting more quiet towards the end of the sentence._

He was surprised, but took her hand, gently stroking the back of her hand. Her skin was so soft and the touch sent sparks through his whole body. She followed submissively as he led her to the door of the classroom. 

He carefully checked for students in the hall, but never let go of her hand. It just felt right to hold her… to protect her… keep her safe.

He didn't pay much attention to their surroundings, he knew where he was going.

He concentrated on his hand, tracing slow circles across the back of her hand, and tried not to walk too fast despite his eagerness to be alone with her. He bit back a sigh. 

Soon they stood in front of Bravado the Beast. 

He said the password (he wondered if she recognized it) and led her into his living room. But they didn't stay there long. He turned towards one of the doors and then they stood in his bedchamber. 

As she paused to look at their surroundings, he took his chance and kissed her. She returned the kiss passionately. They moved towards the bed and – 

'Damn', Severus Snape thought and sat up in his bed. 'This has to stop. I'll go insane.'

He got up and threw his robes over the shorts and t-shirt he was sleeping in. 'Calm down and go back to sleep', he told himself. 'Ha, easier said than done!'

He shortly considered taking another cold shower, but decided against it. He wouldn't be able to sleep afterwards.

He began pacing. It helped him thinking, and as he was thinking a lot, he was pacing a lot. He was sure he sometimes walked miles a day just by pacing back and forth in his chambers or the classroom. 

'Now, this is a trick. I should be reasonable and rational about this. I always am. But the potion influences me in a way that prevents me from thinking in the lines of logic. At least if Miss Granger is concerned.'

He stopped dead. 'What if I can't think logically when brewing the antidote? That would be bad. It could make things worse if I'm not fully concentrated. The slightest distraction, the mere thought of Miss Granger, could ruin the potion.'

He shook his head and resumed pacing. 'It's no use to fuss about it now.'

+~*#

Hermione hesitated. She had been pacing back and forth in front of the painting she'd seen in her dream earlier this night. 

She finally stepped in front of it and said "Hey Jude". 

The brutal looking man in the picture looked around in confusion. He didn't see anyone, due to the Invisibility cloak. But just as she wanted to walk away, the portrait swung aside. 

Hermione quickly stepped through the hole and made her way down the hallway. It looked all exactly like in the dream. 

She reached the living room and – this time without hesitation – went through the door that led to his bedroom. She stopped dead at the doorway. 

He was there, in the middle of the room, his hair tangled, and paced back and forth, a thoughtful look on his face. 

She couldn't wait any longer. She craved his touch, craved the feeling of his lips caressing her skin, his body pressed against hers. She wanted to feel it – really feel it and not only as an image of a dream. And she wanted it now. 

She moved towards him and gently touched his arm as he went by. He stopped dead. 

"Who's there?", he asked and his hand went towards his sleeve where he kept his wand.

"It's me", Hermione said. 

"Miss Granger?"

"Yes."

"Why can't I see you?"

"Oh", she said and hastily threw off the Invisibility cloak. "Harry's cloak."

"I see." His voice was unsteady. "How did you get in here? How did you know the password?"

"I had a dream", she said and moved closer. She could smell his scent, standing this near. It was like she remembered – sandelwood and asphodel. 

'Could it be?', he wondered. Could they have shared that dream? But actually, he didn't care much.

"I had a dream, too", he replied and leaned down. She smelled of vanilla and roses, like he thought she would. 

He reached out and touched her cheek. She nuzzled her head closer, then turned it and kissed the inside of his palm. 

Neither of them could resist any longer. Although they both knew somewhere in the depths of their minds that this was the reaction to a potion, they couldn't stop… nor did they want to. 

+~*#

Hermione woke with a start. Something was wrong. She wasn't in her own bed. 

She opened one eye and found herself in a large and quite comfortable bed. She was covered with a red linen bedcloth and her head lay on a just as red silk pillow. 

She could feel she was naked. It didn't feel too bad.

Indefinable at first, the sound of a shower made her turn her attention to one of the two doors, presumably the bathroom. Whoever was in there, was obviously taking a shower. 

She looked around. The furniture were made of dark wood – cherry, she'd wager – and a large fireplace consumed almost all of the wall facing the bed. A set of armchairs and a small coffee table were set in one corner, an old-fashioned bureau in another. All in all, it was very comfortable and warm, although there were no pictures or photographs. 

A pile of clothes – including her nightshirt and robes – lay at the foot of the bed. She looked over to the nightstand and saw a book lying there. 

She picked it up and leafed through the pages. 

'It's about potions', she thought. 'Well, of course, since this is Severus' bedroom.'

She paused. 'What did I just think? Severus? Severus? I call him Severus??? Oh, well, I'm laying in his bed, naked, so I shouldn't be too worried about that. And why am I so calm? Is that an effect of the potion? I should take notes.' 

She got up and wanted to pick up her nightshirt, when the door to the bathroom was opened and Professor Severus Snape entered the room. 

He stopped dead. 

Neither of them moved, Hermione half-bent and Severus with a towel in his hands to dry his still wet hair. 

He was dressed in plain black jeans and – oddly enough – a black t-shirt that read 'Love Me' written across his chest. Hermione wore… well, nothing. 

"You are beautiful", he broke the silence. 

"Thanks", she replied uncertain. 'Thanks', she mocked herself. 'Great thing to say. For someone this intelligent I'm almost criminally stupid sometimes.'

They stared at each other. 

"I should go… classes start sometime", she finally managed. 'Is it just me… or is it hot in here?'

"I don't think we two can attend the normal routine today. I don't think you could concentrate and I wouldn't be able to teach. I would have woken you up otherwise. But I… I thought you looked peaceful and… cute while sleeping, so I didn't." He sounded almost wondrous, as if he didn't know why he felt that way. 'Great, just great. This potion makes me think like an overly hormonal acting teenage boy who just wants to get into her knickers… which is true… grrr… could someone poison me…' He shook his head. "I'm sorry. You should get dressed. I find myself unable to think straight in your presence… and the nudity doesn't help. I guess the potion finally came to work… in every aspect."

Hermione quickly pulled the nightshirt over her head. It went down to her knees. "Is this enough or do I have to put on my robes as well? I think it's a bit… warm in here."

"I guess it's ok, at least if you don't… touch me."

"I was going to take down notes. I don't feel bothered by the fact that I spent the night here. This must be an effect of the potion. Under normal circumstances I would have been frantic by now… no offence."

"None taken. I feel similar. When I woke up this morning, you were… well, you were sleeping in my arms… almost lying… on top of me. I was… I mean… I didn't react as I thought I would. I even felt the urge to award points to Gryffindor for… er… satisfying completion of… a task."

"Well, good for me", Hermione smiled.

"And for me", he grinned slyly. 

Hermione blushed. She began to remember certain things from last night. Laughter, even giggles, and moaning, cries of joy, and low whispers and gentle touches. Deep kisses, his hands exploring her body, her mouth tasting the delicate skin of his – 'Oh no, Hermione, don't think about this. Think about how… repulsive he seemed.'

"However, I also find myself unable to say or even think certain things let alone do them. I think I wouldn't be able to kick you out of my room, even if I tried. Actually, I made several attempts to tell you to leave and… well, I didn't manage to verbalize one of them." 

"I know what you mean, Severus", Hermione sighed.

"Did you just call me 'Severus'?", he asked. 

She nodded. "Yes, I even call you that in my thoughts. Every time I want to think 'Professor Snape' it comes out as 'Severus'. And I keep thinking how sexy you are in this shirt." She clasped a hand over her mouth and looked up to him as if to say 'See? I can't help it.'

"Well, I suggest we inform the Headmaster. I'm in no state to brew a potion, especially not one which is so utterly important to us. It can easily be tainted, and in this state of mind I'm likely to do so. But any changes in the recipe could be grave, so we'd best not take any risks. I'm sure Albus understands the influence the potion has on us and will refrain from… disciplinary measures." He went over to the fireplace and threw some Floo Powder into the fire. 

"Albus?", he called out. "Are you up yet? It's Severus. I could need your help here. I'll be waiting in my rooms."

Hermione went over to the armchairs and sat down in one of them. It was very comfortable and she curled up with her legs underneath her and the hem of her nightshirt carefully pulled over her knees. 

"Are you hungry? I'll summon a house elf to bring us some breakfast." Severus drew out his wand and said some words whereupon a house elf appeared. 

"We want our breakfast brought here. Hermione, what do you want?"

"Some toast and tea, please", she said. 

Severus nodded. "For me the same as usual, Tibby. And I think a pot of hot chocolate for the Headmaster, who will join us soon", he said and sat down in the other armchair. 

Silence settled. 

"Do you know how much self-control it took not to order honey spread all over your body to lick it off?", he finally breathed.

She nodded. "Maybe as much self-control it took not to ask for chocolate syrup", she replied with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. 

"Would you stop it already? I don't want the Headmaster to see me lusting over a student! And I don't think he would approve of us if he found us on the bed, shagging like rabbits!"

"Please, I didn't start it. You talked about all the honey and how beautiful I was!", she shouted back at him. 

His scowl deepened. He stood up to intimidate her just by his size. "You don't blame this on me. You were the one who came to my chambers – in the middle of the night, mind you – and started all the touching!"

She stood up as well and rushed towards him. "You can't intimidate me anymore, Severus. I can always imagine you naked and all the fear that you try to give off is reduced… well, not so much reduced… I mean… arrgh… you know damn well what I mean… and did I mention how sexy you look in that shirt?" 

He slid his arms around her waist. "See? You're doing it again. And you look marvellous and absolutely kiss-worthy doing it", he whispered and leaned down. 

She circled his waist with her legs and crossed her ankles behind his back. Her arms went around his neck and he found himself looking up at her. 

"This way you don't have to worry about… intimidating me… and, well… it has its uses", she whispered into his ear, her teeth slightly grazing the soft skin. She moved even closer to him and could feel his immediate reaction against herself. 

"Mmmh", he moaned and kissed her greedily. 

After what seemed like only seconds – but must have been several minutes – someone cleared their throat.

Hermione only reluctantly unlinked her legs and Severus released her only almost as reluctantly. They turned to face the Headmaster who looked thoroughly confused. 

"We love each other", Hermione declared in a determined voice. 

"Because of a potion", Severus added when he caught the Headmaster's gaze. "Longbottom made a mistake – I think I told you about it – and we came in contact with the potion. We found out yesterday. And… the potion works, so much is clear." 

"We are unable to work against it. We have tried. But it always makes us say, and do, things that we didn't plan to. Like…", her voice trailed off and she blushed. 

"It's okay. It isn't your fault. We'll take the antidote as soon as it's ready and then… Headmaster, we need to have Poppy brew the antidote. I'm not capable of brewing a decent potion in this state of mind. I would only get distracted and I cannot allow anything to taint the potion."

"Well, I must say I'm rather surprised. I didn't see that coming… no, I didn't. But I'm afraid Madam Pomfrey is not available today. In fact, she won't be back at Hogwarts until Tuesday, at least. A fifth-year Hufflepuff came to the Infirmary some days ago. It turned out he has measles. Poppy will be in quarantine up to Tuesday. If she wasn't infected, she'll return then."

"But… we cannot wait till then!", Hermione exclaimed. "I'm going crazy. All I can think of is Severus. I… I cannot go to classes on today. Not like this. I feel like I'd have to tell everyone I meet how wonderful he is. And how much I love him. And…" Hermione broke off and smacked herself across the cheek.

"There, there, Miss Granger", Dumbledore said. He hadn't expected that either. 

"But she's right, Albus. I'm in no condition to teach. I would just sit there and grin like an idiot. I'm surely grinning right now, aren't I?" Nods from Hermione and Dumbledore. "You see, I have a reputation. Besides, our… relationship, even if inflicted by a potion, would be highly inappropriate. I would have to be dismissed as a teacher and Hermione would have to be expelled. You surely don't want that to happen?"

"Well, I know I don't", Hermione said. "Professor Dumbledore, you have to help us. Or I'll just go mental!"

Severus nodded in agreement. To which statement, he wasn't sure. 

"I suppose someone else could brew--"

"No", said Severus. "I'm sorry to say so, but Poppy is the only one I would trust with a potion this difficult… and important. You are a great wizard, but your potions are poor. You were always better at Transfiguration, as you told me yourself. Accuracy is as important as skill on this specific potion. Poppy had to learn it in order to become a mediwitch. The only other person except for Poppy – and me, of course – I would trust to brew the potion, well… is Hermione. And she cannot do it. The reason should be obvious."

"You think I could do it?"

"Of course you could do it. Not many students are able to manage a Polyjuice Potion in their second year. I almost think you could do it even better than Poppy", Severus snapped, but with not a trace of malice in his voice. 

"Oh, I could kiss you for that", she chirped. 

And she did.

"Aehm…" Dumbledore's voice brought them back to reality once again. "Why don't we settle down for breakfast and you tell me all about this potion?", he suggested, gesturing towards the armchairs. "Oh, I'll conjure up one more and--"

"Don't bother, Albus. Hermione and I will be just fine", Severus said and sat down in the armchair Hermione had occupied earlier. He held out his arms in a clear invitation and she curled down into his lap, snuggling close to him. 

For the rest of the conversation, Dumbledore had to make sure once in a while, that the two… 'lovebirds' actually listened to him while feeding pieces of toast and fruit to one another. 

He shook his head. How could anyone endure this until Tuesday?

_AN: The idea to put Severus in a 'Love Me' shirt came to me while watching Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell". The singer wears one and I kept wondering how Snape aka Alan Rickman would look in one. Plus, it adds to the irony of the situation._

_I didn't really know how to write Dumbledore's part (that's why I left it out last chapter). I hope you understand what I mean. _

_I have no idea how long this will be. But I hope it stays interesting. Keep reading!_

01.02.04: Yesterday, I noticed that P&I had only eleven chapters where there should be twelve, and I discovered that I forgot to upload this chapter again after I deleted it to make some minor changes.  So I uploaded it again. 


	7. Oh, God, I'm Blind!

Chapter Six – The Forgotten Friends Get Some Action

"Ginny!"

Harry ran along the corridor after his friend.

"Running is not permitted, Mr. Potter", an angry painting shouted. He ignored it. He didn't have much time. It was Friday and they had Potions in about seven minutes. But he had to talk to Ginny beforehand. 

"Ginny! Hey, wait up!"

Ginny turned around. "Harry? What are you doing here? Don't you guys have Potions?"

He was out of breath from running. "I… wanted… to… talk to… you."

"What about? I have Charms and I was late last time. Professor Flitwick is gonna take points if I'm late again", Ginny said. She nervously glanced towards the Charms classroom. Everybody else was already inside. 

"It's important", Harry said, his breathing back to normal. "Do you know where Hermione is? I haven't seen her at breakfast and she missed Arithmancy, according to a Ravenclaw in that class. Lavender says she wasn't there when she woke up." Harry looked concerned. 

"Did you check the Infirmary? Maybe she is sick." Ginny looked pensive. 

Harry nodded. Ron went to check, but Madam Pomfrey wasn't there. "The Infirmary's closed. According to a note, we are supposed to go to our Head of House when we are ill. But Professor McGonagall doesn't know where she is, either."

"Sometimes Hermione goes up to the library before everyone else is awake. Maybe she just forgot everything over 'Hogwarts: A History'. I heard they have the newest edition since yesterday."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'll go and check before lunch." Ginny turned around to go into the classroom. 

"Oh, and Ginny, I wanted to ask you one more thing", Harry said. 

"Yes?"

"I… Would you like to go to the Halloween Ball next week? As… my date?", he asked waiting anxiously for an answer. 

Ginny smiled. "I would love to", she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you at lunch", she called before closing the door to the Charms classroom behind her. 

Harry touched his cheek, wondering. 'Wow, she kissed me', he thought. A grin from one ear to the other appeared on his face. He was tempted to jump up and down. He felt relieved. He hadn't been sure she'd accept. But now, everything was fine.

'Oh, God, Potions!'

Harry's grin was replaced with a mask of horror as he hurried along another corridor towards the dungeons. He prayed he'd be there in time.

+~*#

Ron sat down at his normal place in the back of the Potions classroom. Harry was gonna be late. And Snape would have the time of his life deducting points from Gryffindor. Damn!

Neville looked scared. Ever since the last exploding cauldron, he became more nervous than ever in Potions. Snape hadn't let him so much as touch a cauldron for over a week. If Hermione hadn't protected Neville – and calmed him down – he'd surely have died from fear by now. 

'Poor Neville', Ron thought. 'If Hermione doesn't show up today, he'll have to stand Snape's glares alone. He'll surely break down and cry.'

The faint sound of a bell ringing indicated the beginning of classes. 

Ron turned around in surprise. Normally, Snape came blasting into the room as soon as the bell chimed. But today, only Harry came hurrying into the classroom. 

"Professor, I…", he stopped. Snape wasn't there. Harry took the chance and sat down next to Ron. While he calmed his breathing once more in the last quarter hour, he wondered about Snape's absence. This was so much unlike him. 

"Where's Snape? He's never late!", Seamus wondered. He and Dean occupied a table in the row before Ron and Harry. Ron shrugged. 

"Dunno. Maybe he finally tripped over the hem of his robes and bumped into the next brick wall, head first, of course." 

Dean snickered. 

"I'd not talk so much, Weasel. Otherwise it may be you who bumps into a wall head first", Draco Malfoy sneered at them from across the room.  

"Really, Malfoy? And how do you explain to your bodyguards what to do? They are too stupid for such a complicated task. They'd probably end up running into walls all the time, thinking they do an excellent job", Dean said, still snickering from the image of Snape tripping over his own feet.

Crabbe and Goyle didn't react. If they realized they'd just been insulted, they took it well. But Harry assumed they really were too stupid to understand. However, he didn't feel like fighting Malfoy today. He was in a too good mood for this. After all, he'd go to the Halloween Ball with Ginny. 

"Come on, Ron. Don't think about it. He's not worth the quarrel." Harry said. Ron sat there, his head as red as his hair, and stared at Malfoy with disgust and hatred clearly visible on his face. Reluctantly, he turned his attention back to Harry. 

"Yeah, you're right. I think I'll start the Divination essay. I still have to come up with some dream interpretations and a prophecy about a tragedy at Christmas." Ron took out a roll of parchment and a quill and ignored Malfoy for the time being, although he heard his last comment – "Yes, Weasel, always have to hide behind those pathetic friends of yours, don't you?" – quite clearly. 

Then the door opened and Professor Dumbledore himself entered the room. The quiet conversations immediately stopped. 

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning", they echoed in unison.

"As you may have noticed, Professor Snape will not be teaching today due to an accident with a potion which left him in no position to teach. However, he asked me to give you this", he said and waved his wand. In front of every student, a roll of parchment appeared. "Those are your assignments for this lesson and should be finished on Monday."

The students groaned. As they knew their Potions teacher, they'd have to spend the whole weekend on this assignment. To their surprise it only required a rather short essay on hemlock and its uses in potion brewing. 

"You may leave the classroom now. Be sure to be quiet in the halls, others are not so fortunate

to have a free period – please don't disturb their lessons", Professor Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley – If I could have a word with you?"

"Of course, sir", Harry answered. He and Ron made their way up to where the Headmaster stood while everyone else hurried out of the classroom – Neville looked especially relieved.

"You have noticed the absence of your friend, Miss Granger", Dumbledore said. It wasn't really a question, more a statement.  

They nodded. 

"She and Professor Snape… suffer from a potion accident. She won't attend classes until the effects of the potion lessen or the antidote can be taken." 

"Is this about Neville's… misfortune?", Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I didn't want to mention this in the presence of your classmates. I'm sure Mr. Longbottom regrets this accident and doesn't need to be blamed."

"But what happened to Hermione? Is she going to be all right?" Ron asked. "She isn't hurt, is she?" He looked as if he was on the edge of panic.

"No. She's fine. She is in no danger", Dumbledore assured them. His voice was calm and soothing. 

"Can we see her?", Harry asked. 

Dumbledore seemed to think about this. "I'm not sure if she would want to see the two of you. Her situation is… embarrassing for her, I imagine, and for Professor Snape as well."

"But could you ask her? We're just worried about her, you know", Harry said. He looked concerned. 

"Of course, boy, of course. I'll let you know at dinner. And now, off you go. Enjoy the free time", Dumbledore said, shooing them out of the classroom. 

+~*#

"Well, I don't know if it's any use to look out for a date for Hermione. Maybe she won't even be able to attend the Halloween Ball. Who knows how long it takes to get her back to normal", Ron said. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table, enjoying dinner. 

"What is wrong with her, anyway?", asked Neville. 

"She and Snape were working on a potion and something went wrong, I suppose", said Ginny. "We were at the library last night and Snape came up to us. Dumbledore asked them to work together on some research."

"Really? Well, Neville, I guess you're not the only one to get a potion wrong. Even the Master isn't infallible", Harry laughed. Neville still looked sceptically but said nothing.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley", Dumbledore's voice came from behind them. "Miss Granger has agreed to see you, and you too, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore smiled at Ginny.

Ginny smiled back. "Thank you, sir."

"She will await you in the dungeons, once you've finished dinner", Dumbledore said and with another nod of his head he went to sit at his place at the High Table. 

+~*#

"Why do you think she's in the dungeons?", Ron asked as they went down to the Potions classroom. 

"I've no idea. Maybe she and Professor Snape need to take a potion regularly, and therefore have to brew it. Or she just didn't want to meet us in the common room to avoid running into the others", Harry guessed. 

Ron shrugged. "I guess it's not that important."

When they finally reached the door, Ginny knocked. They heard muffled voices and a door closing, then Hermione's voice telling them to come in. 

"Hermione, how are you?", Ginny asked. "You all right?" She looked concerned. 

"You don't look ill", stated Ron. He said down on one of the tables and put out a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. He didn't want Hermione to know how worried he really was.

"That's because I feel great."

She hugged Ginny. "I have to tell you something", she whispered only for Ginny to hear. "Come down later again – without the two."

Ginny nodded. "Okay", she whispered back. "I'm glad you're feeling all right, Mione", she said aloud. 

"Say, Hermione, why is it that you can't attend classes? You seem all right. And unless there's a very good reason you wouldn't miss a lesson." Ron looked suspicious. 

Hermione sighed. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry. But you have to trust me. I really can't go to classes right now, and I'm afraid you have to go now, too." 

"Why? Is it contagious?" Harry looked uneasy. "I wouldn't want to miss… school." He caught himself in time not to say 'the Halloween Ball'. Ron didn't know about him asking Ginny, and Harry wasn't sure how he would handle the news. 

"No, of course not. I wouldn't want to infect you with… it." Hermione giggled somewhat out of reasons only she could understand. 

"Okay, bye then", they said and hugged Hermione in a big group hug before they left. 

Slowly the door to the adjoining supplies closet opened and Severus entered the room. 

"So, you actually managed to keep your mouth shut. I didn't think you could do it", he grinned. 

"Why, you don't want me to… be loud?", she asked, a lascivious look in her eyes. She bit her lower lip, knowing it would make him… nervous.

"You vixen", he laughed and pulled her into his arms.

+~*#

Harry, Ron and Ginny were halfway out of the dungeons, when Ron suddenly stopped. 

"What?", Harry asked. 

"I forgot my bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. I'll go and get it. You two can go ahead." Ron turned around. 

"It's okay, we'll wait here", Ginny replied. "Does he know you asked me to the Halloween Ball?", she asked Harry quietly as Ron's footsteps faded. 

Harry shook his head. "Nope. I'm not sure how he would react and I'm waiting for the right moment to tell him. Preferably when he's sleeping", Harry joked and was rewarded with the sound of Ginny's beautiful laughter. 

"Well, he'll find out sooner or later and--" She stopped as she heard something. "Did you hear that?"

Harry concentrated and could hear it, too. Someone was screaming. Then it struck him. Not just anyone. "I think it's Ron", he said. 

Panic flickered in Ginny's eyes for a second. 

They started running back to the dungeons and found Ron – in the middle of their Potions classroom, screaming. 

AN: Cliffhanger? Sorry, but it had to be. Oh, come on. You all know what made Ron scream on top of his lungs. 


	8. Oh, Madness And Memories

Chapter Seven – "Oh God, I'm Blind!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, would you stop screaming already!" Snape's voice was as sharp as ever, despite the fact that he held Hermione close in his arms. 

Ron eventually stopped screaming, but now his jaw dropped and it looked almost as if it would hit the floor any moment. Incoherent and unintelligible mumblings came out of his opened mouth, which left him looking rather stupid. 

"Ron, shut your mouth. You look stupid", Hermione said, hands still somewhere inside of Snape's robes. 

Harry and Ginny still stood in the doorway, unable to move, struck by what they saw.

"I…" Harry seemed equally unable to say anything. 

Ginny caught herself. "Er, Hermione, those dreams you told me about… you didn't mention they actually were true", she said.

"They weren't, it's all an effect of the potion." Hermione reluctantly pulled away from Snape, but didn't release his hand. 

"It was a Love Potion of sorts."

"L-l-l-l-love Potion?" Harry's gaze drifted from Hermione to Snape and back. "So you're under the influence of a potion?" He definitely sounded relieved.

They nodded. "Yeah", Hermione said dreamily. "And I love it."

"And I love you", Snape said in a low, sugary voice. He embraced her and softly kissed the top of her head. Hermione closed her eyes and affectionately caressed his cheek. They both smiled. 

"Gah!" Ron brought everyone's attention back to him. "I'm blind!", he exclaimed. 

"Huh?" Harry was even more confused. 

"Well, I wish I were. Oh god, and I want to be deaf, too", he said feverishly and turned away. "How am I supposed to look her in the eye ever again? I just… this is…" He broke off and shook his head disbelievingly. "I think I'm gonna be sick", he said faintly, before falling to the ground with a loud 'thump'. 

+~*#

"Ron? Are you all right?" Ginny was kneeling beside her brother, a concerned look on her face. "Ron? Can you hear me?"

Ron stirred. "Ouch", he said and carefully touched his forehead. "I had a really bad dream." 

He sat up, still a bit dizzy, and rubbed his temples. "I thought that Hermione and Snape were – arrgh!"

Ginny smiled hesitantly and followed Ron's gaze. Professor Snape and Hermione stood in front of the teacher's desk and were snogging violently. "They are under the influence of a potion. Love Potion. It isn't their fault. They can't help it", she said apologetically. 

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked, his gaze now fixated on Ginny's hair. Anything was better than his best friend snogging a teacher, and Snape of all teachers. 

"He went to get Professor Dumbledore. We weren't able to separate them."

"Hmpf." He had a headache. 

"Oh my", Dumbledore's voice sounded from the door. "You weren't supposed to see the full extent of the potion." His gaze lingered on Ron for a second, a pitiful look in his eyes. 

"Severus! Hermione! I must insist that the two of you behave for the moment!", he said louder. The couple reluctantly parted and at least had the decency to look guilty.

"We're sorry, Headmaster. But--"

"I know, Hermione. But I believe your friend Ron needs a bit more of an explanation", Dumbledore said. "Why don't we go somewhere more private, and more comfortable, and have a nice cup of hot chocolate?"

"Yes, Headmaster." 

Together they made their way towards Dumbledore's office, Ginny walking in between Hermione and Snape to avoid a compromising situation out in the corridors. 

"Sugar quills", Dumbledore said once they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to his office. 

"Maybe we better go into my living room. I'm afraid the office would be a little crowded with everyone crammed inside." He led their group towards a door only Severus had seen before. 

It led into a nicely furnished and very comfortable living room, decorated in red and gold. 

"Please take a seat. I'll get us something to drink", Dumbledore offered. 

Harry and Ron both sat down in the two armchairs, what left the sofa to Ginny and the seemingly inseparable couple. 

Ron stared into the fire. 

Harry and Ginny looked at each other with similar expressions on their faces. They were both worried about Ron – and Hermione.  

Dumbledore came back with a tray full of mugs. He sat it on the table carefully and looked around. Then he conjured up another chair and sat down. He offered them all a mug and soon they were all sipping the hot chocolate silently. 

Suddenly, Ron sat his mug down and stood up. "I can't believe this." He sounded furious.

"I couldn't believe it myself. I thought I was going crazy", Hermione said quietly, one hand still entwined with Severus'. "I'm sorry, Ron, but this isn't my fault. Neither is it Severus'."

"Severus? You call him Severus? This gets better every moment." He turned angrily towards the fire.

"Mister Weasley, I can assure you that we both act this way due to a potion. Neither… Miss Granger nor I find ourselves able to work against it." Snape stood up. "If I didn't feel so damn happy because of the potion, I would be yelling at you by now", he said calmly. He now stood behind the sofa and put his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Under normal circumstances I wouldn't look twice at Hermione… no offence, love", he added quickly. 

"None taken. And I agree with you. It's as if I were on drugs." She leaned her head against his left arm. "When I'm in the same room as Severus, I can't stop myself. I have to touch him. And when I'm apart from him, I always have to think of him. And it drives me mad. We tried the whole day. I went to my room and tried to read. How long did we make it?" She glanced up to her lover. 

"The first time? Twenty minutes. The longest we managed to keep apart was one hour and seventeen minutes." Severus moved his right hand up to her neck and began to caress the skin. 

The silence deepened. Harry felt the need to say something… anything. Ron surely needed it. 

"Ron, I don't think it's so bad. It could be worse", he tried. 

Ron turned around. "Yeah, well, that doesn't exactly cheer me up."

"Ron…", Ginny began, but he cut her off. 

"No, let me. I have to… think." He began to pace. 

Hermione stood up to walk over to him. They talked quietly for a while and Dumbledore took his chance to suggest they should turn back to their dormitories and keep quiet about the incident. 

Hermione and Ron came back to the others and Hermione joined Severus on the sofa. Ron tried to ignore them. 

"Ron, are you all right?", Harry asked. Ron shot a glance at Hermione and Snape but nodded. 

"Yeah. I'll be fine… as soon as the overgrown bat gets his dirty hands off Hermione." He spoke quietly, but Snape seemed to have heared. He stared at Ron. And slowly freed himself from Hermione's arms. He stood up and walked over to where they stood. 

"If I didn't know better, Weasley, I'd say you are jealous", he said with a sneer. 

Ron's face turned first pale, then pink. Snape raised an eyebrow and smiled. It looked frightening. 

"You… you… arrgh!" Ron stormed out of Dumbledore's office. 

Dumbledore shook his head. "Severus, Severus. You know very well that Mr. Weasley is fond of Hermione. You shouldn't have done that. I'm very disappointed in you." He sighed. 

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. I… I don't know why I did this." Snape looked pensive. "Potter, maybe you should go and see that he doesn't do anything… stupid."

Harry nodded. "Goodnight." He left the office and went after Ron. 

Ginny still stood there, not knowing what to do. She wanted to make sure that Ron was all right, but she also wanted to stay with Hermione and listen to her. She surely looked as if she needed someone to talk to.

Hermione walked over to them. "I'll walk Ginny back to the Common Room. I don't think it would bring much if I tried to stay at my room. I'd end up down in the dungeons anyway, so I'll see you later, Severus." She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. Ginny stared. She couldn't help it. It was just so rare that Professor Snape showed any emotion – except anger – that she was fascinated with it. He looked so gentle and caring when he spoke to Hermione or touched her. He looked truly and deeply in love. "Goodnight, Professor Dumbledore", Hermione said when she broke the kiss. 

Together the girls walked out of the office. 

+~*#

"You wouldn't believe it. He's so different. No more greasy git, no more overgrown bat or vampire. He's so sweet." Hermione smiled. She and Ginny walked slowly to the Gyffindor Common Room. 

"He looks as if… well, as if he loves you." Ginny smiled, too. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course he does."

"But how did you two realize that the potion worked?" Ginny stopped. "Did you come down for breakfast and ended up snogging in the Great Hall?"

"No. I had another dream last night and went down to the kitchens after I woke up. On my way back… well, in the dream, he told me the password to his rooms and I just tried it. I didn't really expect it to work, but it did. And he was still awake and we stood there and started kissing and…" Hermione blushed. 

"You didn't!" Ginny said, shocked. 

"We… we couldn't stop. And… it wasn't that bad!" Hermione resumed walking and hugged herself, a little embarrassed. 'Actually, it was fantastic, mind-blowing, intoxicating, wonderful, sensual… oh God, why does it feel so right?'

"I'm sorry, Hermion. It's just… a bit of a shock." Ginny came up beside Hermione. "I mean, it's one thing to see the two of you kissing but… making love… wow, that's… weird."

"Thanks", Hermione replied sarcastically. 

"You know what I mean. How would you have reacted?", Ginny said. 'Why am I trying to defend myself? I didn't do anything wrong… she's the one screwing teachers!'

"I know. It's not just hard for you, you know. I'm practically acting against my nature, and I can do nothing to stop it. My feelings, and even my thoughts, betray me. Do you think I don't know that it's wrong? I do. But every muscle, every nerve, every fibre of my body is working against me. I literally hurt when I'm not with him." Hermione almost started to cry but managed to hold back all the tears. 'It feels like my heart is being torn apart.'

Ginny hugged her. "I'm sorry", she whispered. 

"I know. I'm sorry, too", Hermione whispered back and finally allowed the tears to fall. 

Ginny held her for what seemed like an eternity. She even produced a handkerchief out of nowhere and Hermione dried her face and blew her nose. 

"We can meet tomorrow, if you're up to it", Ginny said and hugged Hermione once again. 

"That would be great", Hermione nodded. "I think you should be going back."

"Yeah. Harry and Ron'll wonder where I am." Ginny smiled. "So, I'll see you… where?"

"Come to the Potions Classroom after dinner." Hermione smiled and turned to walk back to the dungeons. "Oh, and don't tell Harry and Ron. I think they couldn't handle."

Ginny nodded. "See you tomorrow."

+~*#

Hermione made it into the dungeons without being seen. 

She gave the password to the portrait and walked into Severus' living room. She liked the room and would never have imagined it like this. She always thought it had to be… darker and more pompous. Just like the bedroom. It was far too normal for their evil Potion Master. 

She smiled at her image of him and how it had changed in the last two days. 

"Hermione, is that you?", Severus called from the library. 

"Yes", she called back and entered the room. She loved it. She loved it even more than Hogwarts official library. 

She walked up behind him and put her arms around him, her cheek resting on his back. He put one of his hands above hers and they just stood there for a moment, taking in the sensation of their bodies so near to one another. 

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, love. Anything", he said seriously and turned around. 

"May I use your library to study?" She looked a little irritated when he suddenly started to laugh. She loved his laugh. He had a wonderful, rich laugh; his voice sent shivers through her body. 

"Yes", he managed between laughter, "study as much as you want" He sobered up. "If you manage to stay away from me long enough", he said in what she called 'his sexy voice'. 

"No, silly. I mean after this. When we took the antidote. It's a great library." 

He nodded. "I don't mind. Although it will be awkward, you know that." She nodded. "Are you still against a Memory Charm?"

She hugged him. "Yes. Even if it isn't real; that doesn't make it less… nice."

He looked somewhat surprised. "Do you really mean that?", he asked. 

"Of course. I wouldn't say it otherwise." She snuggled closer and he put his arms around her. 

"You don't think I'm… repulsive?" He sounded insecure. 'I shouldn't even care', he thought angrily. 'She surely wouldn't tell me if she thought I was repulsive.'

Now Hermione looked surprised. "Why would I think that? I know what you went through because of Voldemort. You have a difficult life and… a dangerous life. You couldn't risk your cover being blown, and even now there are still those who'd rather see you dead, so you act like it is expected. I never thought that was the real you."

Instead of saying anything, he just held her closer and kissed her hair.


	9. My Muse Has Left And I'm Stuck With This

Chapter Eight – Oh, Madness (And Memories)

Ron left the dormitory shortly after sunrise. Everyone else was still asleep. Dean's blanket lay at the foot of his bed and he shivered. Neville lay upside down, his feet on the pillow. Seamus mumbled incoherently and Harry smiled in his sleep. 'Probably dreaming of Ginny right now', he thought to himself. 'As if I don't know!' He shook his head. He'd waited for six years that Harry asked Ginny out, and from what he knew, this year he finally managed to ask her. 'And about bloody time!'

He hadn't slept much. After coming back from the Headmaster's office the night before, he went to bed almost immediately. Harry came in to check on him only moments later, only to be told to sod off. He had desperately wanted some time to think. He didn't even know why he was so angry at Snape and Hermione. It wasn't as if they'd planned the whole thing. 'I bet Hermione won't be too happy once this is all over', he thought and went down to the Common Room. Nobody was up. Of course not, it was Saturday and that meant no classes. But he didn't want to take any risks. He wanted to be alone, so he decided to go outside. 'Maybe a walk by the lake can help me sort out what exactly my problem is. Well, apart from the obvious.'

As he passed the Great Hall, he thought about skipping breakfast but decided against it. He was already a little peckish. He went in and grabbed some toast and an apple for later. Downing a huge glass of pumpkin juice, he looked around. No one was there. It felt strange to be in the Great Hall all alone. He shuddered and went outside. 

Pulling his cloak tightly around him, he walked around the corner of the castle and towards the lake. 

He sat down in the grass and threw little stones and dirt into the water. The giant squid didn't seem to mind. 

He sighed. He went it over and over again and always came to the same conclusion: Snape had been right – he was jealous. 

But why? Yes, he'd had a crush on Hermione, but that had been ages ago. He was completely over her… or wasn't he? Rubbish! Of course he was over her!

Then why did it bother him so to see her with Snape? Maybe it was because of the fact that it was Snape of all people. He knew that Snape wasn't half as evil as he'd always thought, but he wasn't a particularly nice person, either. He didn't like the thought of Hermione being close to him. He had the feeling that Snape would only hurt her. If not now, then later. What would happen when they had taken the antidote? Would he be especially mean to 'Mione just because he could? Ron was sure that Hermione got an insight into the Potions Master's… less evil side. And he never seemed to like people being close to him. So what would he do to Hermione? She was close to him, no doubt. He didn't even want to know just _how_ close they actually were.  

He leaned back and crossed his arms behind his back. Still thinking about Hermione, he didn't even notice that he was about to fall asleep. __

+~*#

Hermione and Severus spent the whole day in bed. 

In the late morning, Severus summoned a house elf and ordered breakfast/lunch. 

For the most time, they were content just to lie in each others arms and talk about… everything. 

"Severus?", Hermione broke the silence. She lay on her back, his head resting on her stomach. One of her hands behind her head, the other one caressing his hair. He had his eyes closed and just drank in the sensation of her touch. 

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about your parents." 

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. I just want to be part of your life and that includes your past", she said, still caressing his hair. She smiled and added, "And I love to hear your voice. You could read a telephone book and I'd still be happy."

He smiled and thought about his parents. "I don't know where to start. One of the first things I remember is my father teaching me how to fly. It was summer and quite hot. He told me how to sit on the broom and how to steer and everything. Except for the hair colour I look a lot like him. At least, that's what everyone else told me. Well, I really managed to get into the air, and it went pretty well at first, but then I got careless and lost control and fell down. I broke my right arm. Mother was frantic. She was so angry, I thought she'd hex Father. But she didn't. She was worried and took me to St. Mungos. That was the first time I ever went there… well, except my birth." He smiled at the memory. Mother had been almost hysteric. 

"Are you an only child?"

"No. I had a brother. But he died when I was two. I don't remember him. So maybe you could say I _was_ an only child. My parents never talked about him. Until I was fourteen, I didn't even know he existed. I found a photograph from my mother with a little boy on her lap. She was pregnant in the picture. I asked my parents and they told me about the brother I never knew."

Hermione sat up and hugged Severus. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I didn't know him", Severus said and kissed her. "Tell me something about your parents."

"They are dentists. Both of them. They always smell of disinfectant and soap – because they wash their hands maybe thousand times a day. It's strange but every time I smell that I feel at home. Maybe that's why I'm more comfortable at the Infirmary than other people." She leaned back. "When I was eight years old, there was no snow on Christmas. I was so disappointed that I cried. My Dad noticed and told my Mum to get the car. We went to the mountains and I had my snow. I guess that was one of the best presents I ever got."

"Well, I know what the best thing is I ever got", Severus said seductively and turned around so that he could lie next to her. 

Hermione giggled. "You are _so_ strange, you know that?" She rolled her eyes when he nodded. "It's gonna be so weird when we took the antidote."

Severus nodded, this time with a more serious expression. "I know. But I will try to treat you just like any other student. Despite the fact that I know you have a set of 'Winnie the Puh'-panties."

"Oh, you", Hermione screamed and poked him in the ribs. "Don't you dare use that against me! Or maybe, one day at breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or at every meal… I'll let it slip that you… have coconut-scented hair conditioner, and own a set of curlers!"

"You wouldn't!" 

"Try me!", she dared and was forced to giggle much more when he attacked and tickled her to the ground. 

"Ha, I know your weak spots, and I'm not afraid to use my knowledge! Besides, those were a gift from Albus. Who am I to turn him down? Not that I ever used them."

"Obviously", she stated dryly. 

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?", he asked, half-serious.

"Nothing. I just… It couldn't hurt to actually _use_ the conditioner once in a while, you know. It does wonders for the hair, like, lets it look less greasy", she teased.

"You do know that this is a spell? In my first year as a professor here, a… let's say… not-so-gifted student set a potion on fire and… well, I had to live without most of my hair, my eyebrows and eyelashes for some time. After that I swore that it would never happen again. And I'm glad I took this precaution. Do you remember your fourth year when Longbottom tripped over his own feet and knocked his cauldron over? The content – of course not correctly brewed – came into contact with the flames and half of the classroom caught fire. Goyle, Thomas, Crabbe and Longbottom himself had to go to the Infirmary, Finnigan had to regrow his hair. He was lucky I invented a potion to accelerate hair growth."

"Oh, yes. I remember that one. We weren't harmed because you wanted to talk to me in your office."

CLUNK!

Hermione jumped, causing Severus sit up. "What was that?", she asked, looking around in the room. 

"I don't know." Severus stood up and went to the door. 

CLUNK! CLUNK!

"Sounds like knocking", Severus said and went to the door. He came back moments later. "No one there."

CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

"Hey, it comes from the window", Hermione said and went over to the huge window. It was magically enhanced and let in the early afternoon sun. Severus had told her he normally would have basement windows down here but didn't like it, so he had bewitched them. She pulled it open and saw a ruffled owl sitting on the window sill. 

"Hello", she said. The owl hooted and stuck out its leg. A red letter, addressed to Severus. Hermione took it and thanked the owl. Instantly, the owl took off. She didn't take the time to admire the view over the lake she had from here. She shivered. After all, it was late October. Halloween was in four days and it wasn't warm anymore. Admittedly, she only wore her panties (not the 'Winnie the Puh' ones) and a top. 

"What is it?", Severus asked and came up behind her. Her embraced her, and the chilly feeling decreased because of his warmth. 'Maybe the fresh air isn't that bad', she thought. 'if he stays this way.'

"It's for you", she said, holding out the letter. 

"Uh-oh", he said and took it, carefully. 

"What?", he murmured. She had her eyes closed and thought she would be content just to stand there in his embrace.

"It's a Howler", he said. Her eyes snapped open. For the first time, she really looked at the letter, and yes, it looked like a Howler. 

She frowned. "Who would send you a Howler?", she asked. She grabbed the envelope and turned it. Nothing. 

"Well", he sighed. "Better open it now before something nasty happens", he said and grabbed for the bright red letter. 

"Wait! Don't you want to cast a Silencing Spell or something? What if someone hears? It could be about… you know", Hermione said. 

He chuckled. "My chambers are warded and I used every spell I know to ensure my privacy." She felt stupid. Of course he would have guarded his rooms already. "Besides", he added with a smirk, "isn't it a bit late to worry about that? After all the noise you made last night?" He watched her blush. She looked so beautiful.

"So what? You surely didn't complain. Now, open it", she tried to focus his attention back to the Howler. "It's smoking already."

He stepped back and ripped the envelope open. The Howler flew out of his hand and hung in mid-air. The paper formed a mouth and began shouting. 

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE TOLD ME ABOUT YOU TWO! DON'T YOU DARE TO DO _ANYTHING_ INAPPROPRIATE! I EXPECT YOU TO ACT REASONABLE, SEVERUS. MISS GRANGER IS ONLY A CHILD AND YOU WILL NOT USE HER IN ANY WAY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?", the magically enhanced voice of Madam Pomfrey filled the room. Severus frowned. She sounded angry. He hadn't known she was so protective towards Hermione. 

"OH, JUST WAIT UNTIL I COME BACK! I ALWAYS TOLD YOU TO KEEP THE DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS OUT OF REACH BUT YOU NEVER LISTENED. NOW YOU SEE WHAT YOU GOT. IF IT WEREN'T FOR MISS GRANGER I'D SAY YOU DESERVE THIS BACKFIRE OF A POTION!" He stole a glance at Hermione. She seemed furious for some reason. 

"I'M WARNING YOU, SEVERUS, DON'T HARM HER, OR ELSE…" The voice faded and the Howler fell to the ground, burning to ashes. 

"I didn't know you were so close", he said, just to say something. "She seemed very… protective."

Hermione snorted. "Yeah, sure", she said sarcastically. 

"What?"

"She's just jealous!" Hermione began pacing. 

"Wait, jealous?", Severus asked, alarmed. "Why would Poppy be jealous?" Hermione stopped pacing just to give him a 'Don't be stupid!' look and sat down in her new favourite armchair. She started muttering something under her breath he couldn't understand. 

Severus swallowed. Poppy… having a crush on him? He never thought about that possibility. Yes, she always cared for him and before Voldemort's defeat she had always tended to him when he came back from one of the torturing sessions. But he never… it just seemed impossible. She was a Mediwitch, after all. It was her job to care for her patients. She surely didn't…

"No", he said out aloud. He needed to hear this. He went to sit down beside Hermione.

"Yes", she said. "The old hag is jealous. Bet she can't stand the thought of you with someone other than her. And until now she didn't have a problem. You didn't socialise with anybody. But now she sees she doesn't have a chance." Hermione stood up. "Child!", she spat. "She called me a 'child'. I don't believe it. I'm not a child any more. I haven't been for some time. Oh yes, I could battle Voldemort together with Harry and Ron, and you and the Headmaster, of course, but I'm too young to have a boyfriend? Where's the logic in that? That woman is unbelievable. She should worry about her own life, and let others live their lives in peace!"

A thought crossed Severus' mind. He stood up and blocked Hermione's way. When she looked up, he saw the insecurity and fear in her gaze. She tensed and looked back down. 

"Hermione?"

"Yes?", she said without looking up. He sighed and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to lift her head. She bit her lip unconsciously. 

"You do know that I love you, and _only_ you and that I would never so much as _look_ at another?", he asked, gently. Almost immediately, he felt the tension vanish and the worried look left her eyes. She finally nodded and he kissed her softly. 

+~*#

Ron woke with a start when something wet touched his face. He sat up and saw one of the giant squid's tentacles slide back into the lake. He made a face and wiped his face clean with the hem of his robe.

'Uargh', he thought. 'Squid goo!' He shuddered, noticing how could it was. The sun hid somewhere behind the clouds and he checked his watch. Almost after lunch. But as it was Saturday, the mealtimes were a little more open. He didn't even have to hurry. 

He stood up and began to walk back towards the main entrance but was distracted by an owl flying from over the Forbidden Forest across the lake and over his head towards the castle. He followed the owl with his gaze and was surprised when it didn't fly to the Great Hall but to one of the lower windows. He watched the owl tapping at the window. 

He moved closer. 'Must be one of the teachers' rooms. Or Slytherin Common Room', he thought. 'Ah no. The Slytherin Common Room is at the other end of the castle.' He knew that due to a trip with Harry in their second year. They'd taken Polyjuice Potion and looked just like Crabbe and Goyle. 

'Curiosity killed the cat', he thought as he changed his direction so that he walked towards the window and not the entrance. 'But I'm not a cat.' He laughed inwardly as the owl tapped more furiously at the window. Finally someone opened it and he nearly tripped over his own feet. 

It was Hermione! 

He quickly hid behind a tree. If she saw him, it would look as if he was spying on her. 'Well, technically, I am. But I didn't mean to.'

He saw how Hermione took the letter and the owl flew away. Hermione seemed to be cold. 'No wonder. Doesn't seem like she's wearing much', Ron thought. He didn't even want to think about the 'why'.

They talked, but he couldn't hear a word. Soon both of them turned away from the window and Ron took his chance. He wanted – needed – to know just how close the two were. He hadn't been able to see it clearly, but it had looked as if Snape had a bare chest. Ron moved closer and soon stood under the window sill. Luckily no one else was outside. He surely looked suspicious lurking under an open window, eavesdropping on his best friend and his Potions professor.

_"Wait! Don't you want to cast a Silencing Spell or something? What if someone hears? It could be about… you know"_, he heard Hermione say.

Snape chuckled. Ron wanted to throw up again. This man was making him sick. _"My chambers are warded and I used every spell I know to ensure my privacy." _

'Of course you would', Ron thought. 'Wouldn't want anyone to notice… well, whatever you do in there.' He was furious. Snape was a bastard, whether he had been a spy for Dumbledore or not, whether he had helped to defeat Voldemort or not. 

_"Besides, isn't it a bit late to worry about that? After all the noise you made last night?" _

Ron's stomach felt as if it wanted to turn its insides out. Ron bit his lip not to make a sound. The last thing he wanted was to get caught and explain himself to Snape. Or to face that dirty smirk that would surely be on his face. And the disappointment in Hermione's expression.

Ron waited desperately for Hermione to say something… anything to correct his statement. To deny it, or turn it into something harmless. Maybe they'd just played exploding snap the whole night… or argued about potions. 'Oh, yes, of course. Stop being so naïve!', he chided himself. 

_"So what? You surely didn't complain. Now--" _

Ron's mind went blank. So it was true. The two really-- 'Oh, Goddess. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.' He repeated this over and over again. He didn't even hear the outburst of the Howler. 

A quiet cry brought him back to reality. He looked around but didn't see anyone. It wasn't before he heard another noise that he knew where it came from – from out of the open window above his head. 

He frowned. He wasn't hurting her, was he?

But then Hermione giggled and he heard Snape moan. He briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. They were… right now… and he was… He started to walk away but before he made one step towards the main entrance, he heard Hermione cry out. It sounded like "Oh, Severus. Oh God, don't stop!"

Ron managed to get to the huge doors and pushed them open, stumbling into the Entrance Hall. He went straight towards the Gryffindor tower, not paying attention to his surroundings. When he crossed the Common Room (after shouting the password at the fat lady), Colin stood up.

"Hey, Ron. You look pale. Are you all ri-" Ron didn't even slow down. He stormed up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and cast a locking spell on the door. 

Finally, he was alone. He went into the bathroom, filing through the various vials and bottles standing in one corner. Finally, he found the one he was looking for and cursed as he saw how little was left of the potion. Harry must've used it more often than he'd thought. But after all, he was the one with the nightmares. And he'd been given the potion almost three years ago. 

Ron shrugged. He'd see that Harry got a new one. But for now, he needed it. He downed the last bit of the 'Dreamless Sleep Potion' in one and went back into the bedroom, falling onto the nearest bed.


	10. Problems And Some Solutions

Chapter Nine – My Muse Has Left And I'm Stuck With This

Neither of the boys had seen Ron over the day and finally Colin Creevey said he was in their dorm. He didn't answer their knocks and didn't respond to their yelling, and Ginny had begun worrying, when Ron finally opened the door. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm trying to sleep here, you know", he said and rubbed his eyes. 

He really looked sleepy. 

"Ron, we were just worried you'd do something… stupid", Harry said. He didn't want to say anymore. Neville and Dean were still there and wondered what this all was about. 

"Like what?", Ron asked, a little irritated. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not a child anymore. I'm just worried about Hermione, as you two well know."

Harry looked guilty, but Ginny wasn't sure. This sounded just too… mature to be her brother. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ginny. I don't need more people mothering me. I'm pretty much able to live my life on my own. And now, leave!" Ron shut the door again. They heard a light 'click' when Ron locked the door. 

"Wow", Dean said. "What was that all about?"

"Dunno", Harry said, looking innocent. "He's had a bad day, I suppose." 

Neville shrugged. "Let's just leave him. He'll snap out of it soon enough. When he's hungry, at the latest."

"Yeah", Dean agreed. "Hey, Nev. Talking about being hungry… are you coming to dinner?"

They left. 

Ginny and Harry stood in front of the closed door for a moment, looking at each other. Finally, Harry shrugged. "I guess Neville's right. Let's leave him to think."

"But he had all day", Ginny protested. "You know he's very… impulsive. What if he…"

"No. If he'd really wanted to harm himself he'd have done it already. We can as well go to dinner. We can't do anything for him."

Ginny nodded. They made their way down to the Great Hall. 

"Do you think he's still in love with Hermione?", Ginny asked. She couldn't stop thinking about him. 

"I suppose so. Why else would he react like that?", Harry said pensive. "It's like Snape said… he's jealous. And I think that it's Snape really pisses him off."

"Yeah." Ginny sighed and went through the doors of the Great Hall. It wasn't unusual to see Professor Snape's chair empty. He skipped most of the meals and did… whatever he did.

Ginny didn't know. 'Well, right now he's probably sleeping with my best friend', she thought dryly. Even the lack of Hermione's presence wasn't new. Hermione often spent so much time in the library or over some book that she totally forgot about dinner if there wasn't someone to remind her. But to know where both of them were and what they supposedly did made Ginny shiver.

"Creepy, isn't it?", Harry asked. "To think of them, I mean." 

Ginny nodded. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes as they sat down at the table beside each other. 'Sometimes I think he knows exactly what I think. That he understands me', she thought. 'And he looks good.'

Harry looked up and smiled at her. "Are you starting to act like 'Mione?", he asked, laughing. 

Ginny looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"You aren't eating." He pointed towards her empty plate. 

"Well, I was still considering what to eat. I'm not like you or Ron and just take what's there and wolf it down in twenty seconds", she said. "You know, some of us actually chew their meal before swallowing."

Harry continued to chuckle and somewhen she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to laugh, too.

+~*#

Hermione woke up slowly. Her head rested on Severus' chest and one of his arms circled her waist and held her close. He was still asleep and she didn't want to wake him. But she had to take a shower. She would meet with Ginny in about an hour and wouldn't want to be late. 

As careful as she could she took his arm and managed to escape his grip without waking him up. She stood next to the bed for a moment and watched him. He looked so peaceful and so much younger in his sleep. Not that his age bothered her. 

She sighed and made her way to the bathroom. She'd brought some fresh clothes with her after she'd visited her dorm the day before. 

She turned on the water and stepped under it. 'Oh, cold', she thought and nearly jumped out of the shower again. Trying to have the least contact possible with the still cold water, she managed to turn on the hot water instead. 

Finally it had just the right temperature and she washed her hair. She stared at the bottle with his coconut scented conditioner for a moment, then picked it up and opened it. 'Well, if he doesn't want it. It smells nice.'

She was almost finished when she felt a cold draught. Turning around she found Severus looking at her. 

"What are _you_ doing here?", she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Why? Did you expect someone else?" He looked around. "Sorry to disappoint you, no one here", he said jokingly. 

"Nooo, but you should be asleep."

"The sound of the shower and the lack of your presence woke me", he replied, opening the door of the cubicle. She shivered, the cold air causing her nipples to harden. "But… I like you even more in reality than in my dreams."

"I can see that", she said, pointing down to his erection. 

She turned down the shower and tried to grab her towel. But he blocked the way and took the towel away from her. Slowly, he began to dry her. 

"Did you ever do it in a bathroom?", he asked in his 'sexy voice', as she called it. She rolled her eyes. 'Does he ever get tired? You've got a lot of stamina, Severus', Hermione thought. 'We've been together for two days now and had sex… well, quite a lot. Not that I'm complaining… Must be some protein drink…'

"No, but we won't try. I have to get dressed. I'm meeting Ginny in about half an hour", she announced in a resolved voice. 

"That's all the time we need", he said. 

Her resistance didn't take long. He kissed her and his hands travelled up and down her body. She found herself respond to his touch and moved closer. He lifted her up and her legs circled his waist, ankles crossed at the small of his back. 

He broke their kiss and looked her in the eyes. She nodded and moved her pelvis down towards his erection. 

He leaned forward, her back against the warm and still wet tiles of the shower wall. After making sure he wouldn't slide on the wet floor, he finally entered her. 

She let out a sharp breath and shifted slightly to the left. He waited. He didn't want to hurt her. When he felt her move slightly, he smiled. She lifted his head and kissed him deeply, moving towards his body. He first stroke slowly, adjusting to her speed, and drank in the sensation of the nearness of their bodies and the heat of her around his erected penis. She moaned softly as his hand cupped her breast and caressed her nipple. 

Soon they got carried away by their passion and began moving faster. 

Her could feel the tension building up in her body and hear by the sound of her moans that she was near her climax. When he was sure she would be… satisfied, he let go. He got lost in his own orgasm just as she cried out his name and almost collapsed on top of him. 

+~*#

Draco was bored. He sat in the Slytherin Common Room and stared into the fire. Pansy sat next to him – as always clinging to his arm as if she'd drown otherwise – and chatted about her last visit at home. He didn't listen. All he had to do was to grunt now and then or to say "Really?" and "Hm." and laugh a few times. She wouldn't even notice that his mind was on something… or rather someone else. 

He wasn't exactly worried about Professor Snape, but he wanted to know what was going on. As always, Potter and his pathetic friend seemed to know more than he did. And it seemed as if the mudblood, Granger, was involved in this. 'Of course', he thought. 'Letting cauldrons explode again, were we?' He had to chuckle. He still remembered the look of complete shock in her face when her cauldron exploded and covered her in that sticky glee. And then Professor Snape's comment. He wished he'd have a camera with him. That look was worth wasting valuable paper on her. Hell, even to endure that annoying Gryffindor boy with his camera would have been worth it, if he only had a picture of that. 

"Yes, it thought it was funny, too. Oh, Draco, we're _so_ perfect together", Pansy chirped and laughed. He turned his head towards her. He hated that laugh, really. "However, I said to Jeremiah 'I know that purple doesn't go well with my hair colour, that's why I don't want it!' and he was all 'But Miss…'"

He cut out her voice once again and turned his head back to the flames. 'Oh, please, someone rescue me from a boring and painfully slow death!'

+~*#

Hermione paced back and forth in the Potions classroom. She was still a bit shaky and her hair was still wet, but she felt fantastic. She felt a tad nervous because she would be apart from Severus for at least an hour, probably even longer. 

A knock on the door made Hermione stop. "Enter", she called. 'Oh, great, now I'm starting to sound like him.' She shook her head. 

Ginny pushed the door open and stepped inside the classroom. She hugged Hermione and started to look around. 

"What is it?", Hermione asked. "What are you looking for?"

"Oh, just Professor Snape. I don't want to die of shock just because he decides he can't take it any more and jumps out behind a desk or something", Ginny answered, grinning.

"Oh, funny!" Hermione made a face. "Actually, Severus is having tea with the Headmaster. You won't be bothered."

"Come on, 'Mione. You know I was just kidding." Ginny looked around. "But can't we go somewhere more nice. I mean, I don't have so many great memories of the Potions classroom, except for Professor Snape taking Gryffindor house points, and Professor Snape yelling and shouting at students and Professor Snape's evil grin while I'm scrubbing cauldrons for Detention…" 

"I thought so myself, although I also have a lot of other, more pleasant memories…" 

"Oh, God, 'Mione. Too much information", Ginny exclaimed and turned to leave the classroom. Hermione followed, blushing. 

"I didn't mean that. I was talking about my O.W.L.s and the last paper I handed in. It was 124%."

Ginny laughed. "I should have guessed that you were actually talking about school", she said. "So, where are we going?"

"What about Severus' quarters. He has a nice living room." Hermione led the way. 

They walked in silence. When they reached Bravado the Beast, Hermione gave the password and she and Ginny settled down on the living room sofa and talked. 

+~*#

Draco managed not to sigh out of relief when the bell announced dinner that evening. He stood up, and – dragging Pansy with him involuntarily – made his way to the Great Hall.

He was glad that Pansy started talking to one of the sixth-year girls at the table and he was given a moment of peace. He let his gaze wander off to the High Table. 

Professor Snape's seat was still empty. That was nothing new, he often missed a meal or two a day, but today Draco frowned and wondered what exactly happened to him that he couldn't even teach. He'd seen the man teach while gravely injured during the war. He knew that the Dark Lord had often tortured him out of fun. While he himself was far from being 'good', he'd despised the brutality and simplicity of most of the Death Eaters'. But he hadn't been able to tell his father – of course not, he hadn't wanted to be marked a traitor and then killed – so he'd just tried to keep out of that business most of the time. Seeing how the Dark Lord was defeated once and for always and all the Death Eaters – including his father – had been sent to Azkaban, he thought he'd done the right thing. 

He shrugged. He'd learn fast enough what happened to Professor Snape. Maybe he'd go and check for him later. As Head Boy he knew where his Head of House had his quarters.

Something red caught his eye from across the Hall. 'Of course, a Weasley', he thought. 'What else?'

He watched the Weasley girl and Potter enter the Hall. She looked up to the High Table just as he had a minute ago and talked to Potter. When they sat down and started eating, he looked away. Watching other people – especially Potter – eat wasn't exactly exciting. 

'Now, there's a bit of action', he thought, looking over to the Hufflepuff table. One of the couples was breaking up – on top of their lungs. Soon, everyone was staring at them, but they didn't seem to mind. 

Draco took his chance. Pansy was engrossed in the spectacle and although he wanted to have a good laugh at their expense as well, he decided against it. He left the table, making sure 

Pansy wouldn't follow him, and went down to the dungeons. 

Instead of turning right towards the Slytherin Common Room, he turned left. Just as he reached the Potions classroom, the door went open. Instinctively, Draco hid behind a suit of armour. 

To his surprise, it was Ginny Weasley who stepped out into the hallway. He frowned. What was the girl doing down here, at this time of the day – a Saturday, mind you – and all alone? But then Granger came up behind her, slightly red in the face. His frown deepened. Now, that was strange. Wasn't Granger supposed to be sick, suffering from whatever Professor Snape had?

_"I didn't mean that. I was talking about my O.W.L.s and the last paper I handed in. It was 124%"_, he heard Granger say. She sounded defensively. The redhead laughed.

_"I should have guessed that you were actually talking about school"_, she said. _"So, where are we going?"_

'Yes, I would want to know that, too', he wondered, as Granger set off deeper into the dungeons and not towards the stairs leading up to the Entrance Hall. 

_"What about Severus' quarters. He has a nice living room."_

Draco froze. _'Severus_?', he thought. 'What's _that_ supposed to mean?'

'Maybe this evening won't be too boring after all', he mused, waiting until the girls rounded the corner. He heard Granger giving the password (wondering how she knew it in the first place) and decided to think about what to do next.


	11. We're Done Now

Chapter Ten – Problems And (Some) Solutions

Ginny sat on Snape's sofa – which was oddly comfortable, just like the rest of his rooms, – and talked to Hermione who sat next to her. After all, everything Hermione talked about was Professor Snape, and Ginny just couldn't hear one more words about how sexy and affectionate and caring and… She just couldn't take it anymore. So she'd started about Harry and the Halloween Ball and then Ron. They'd discussed what to do with Ron, but hadn't found a solution yet.

"…don't you think?", Ginny finished. 

No answer. Ginny followed Hermione's gaze. She was staring at the wall. But there was nothing special about a wall, or this wall in particular. So why was she staring at it?

"Hermione? Why are you staring at the wall?" Ginny waved her hand in front of her friend's face. Hermione seemed to snap back to reality. 

"What? Sorry, wasn't listening."

"I noticed that much", Ginny replied dryly and sighed. "Let me guess: You were thinking about Mister-I-can-everywhere-and-every-time."

Hermione nodded. "I'm sorry, but it's been almost one hour and a half since I've seen him last. It's getting a bit long."

"Well, I have to go, anyway. So, I'll see you tomorrow? It's Sunday, after all. I don't have any classes." Ginny stood up. 

"All right. I'll sneak up… into the prefects' bathroom. There won't be anybody at eleven in the morning." Hermione walked Ginny to the door and checked for students. When she couldn't see anybody, she let Ginny out and walked her to the exit of the dungeons. You couldn't be careful enough right next to the Slytherin Common Room. The girls wished each other a good night and their ways parted. Ginny headed back towards Gryffindor Tower and Hermione made her way to Dumbledore's office. 

She gave the password and went up the stairs. Upon knocking, she heard Dumbledore's friendly voice call "Come in, come in" and entered the office. 

What she saw disappointed her. Severus wasn't there. Only Dumbledore was there, sitting behind his desk, quill in hand and parchment in front of him. 

"Hello, Hermione. Is there anything you need?", Dumbledore asked. He looked at her questioningly.

"Um, well, I was hoping Severus would be here", she said.

"Yes, he was here until a few minutes ago. I believe he left for his chambers. You must have missed him." Dumbledore put the quill aside and stood up. "You can use the Floo Powder to go there. It would be less… conspicuous, and faster, too." He smiled and opened the pot that contained his Floo Powder. He took out a bit. 

Hermione thanked him and took the Powder. But before she could throw it into the fire, Dumbledore held her back. "Hermione, I wish to talk to you." She looked at him worriedly. "No, not now. You can go to Severus, if you must. But I would like to have a word with you. You could come to my office tomorrow morning", he offered, but his tone made it clear that it wasn't an offer but an order. 

"Yes, Headmaster. I'll be in right after breakfast", she said. 

He nodded and – with a twinkle in his eyes – dismissed her. She threw the Floo Powder – shouting "Severus Snape" and felt sick immediately after stepping into the fire. She didn't like travelling through Floo, not a bit. Coughing, she stepped out of the fire in Severus' living room and brushed traces of ash and dirt from her robe. 

"Severus? Are you here?", she called. "The Headmaster said you went back to your rooms."

"I'm here", she heard his muffled response. 

"Where?" She turned around. 

"In the library. Come here for a moment, please", he answered, this time a lot clearer. 

Sighing, she made her way into the library and found him sitting on the floor, a book in his hands. 

"What are you doing down there? And which book are you reading?", she asked, curiosity clearly showing on her face. After all, she was still the biggest know-it-all in the world. 

"It's my old yearbook from university. I had to search for some minutes before I found it. It was buried under an edition of 'Historical Magic'." He showed her the cover. It was just plain black with a silver crest embroiled in the leather. "Come and sit down here. I want to show you something." He patted a spot on the floor next to him. She sat down and looked into the book. He opened it again and filed through the pages. She got glimpses of various courses and groups of students. Sometimes there were pictures of sole students and a lot of text. She assumed it had to be those students with special achievements in their resume. Suddenly, Severus stopped and turned a few pages back. "That's it", he exclaimed. 

"_Arsenius Jigger_", Hermione read the name next to the picture of a young man in his early twenties. He had dark brown hair and a very long thin nose. His hands were placed on either side of a cauldron that was seated in front of him. "Hey, I know this man", Hermione shouted. "We used his book, 'Magical Drafts and Potions', in our first year. He's a genius."

"I know. We went to university together. He was one of the best students there. He owes me a favour." Severus smiled.

"Why? And why is this suddenly so important?" Hermione was confused. Why did Severus remember old school friends now of all times?

"Dumbledore said something that made me think. Why do we have to wait for Poppy to brew the antidote? I know most of today's finest Potion Masters and some of them happen to owe me one. So I thought we could ask old Arsenius to brew the potion. We don't have to tell him for whom it is or why I need it. He'll just do it." Severus closed the book and smiled. "He also happens to be quite good concerning antidotes."

"Wow, that's great!" Hermione couldn't believe it. They would be cured. They wouldn't have to worry about being caught anymore and she would finally be able to concentrate on school again. She'd already missed a lot. "Hey, wait", she said. A thought had crossed her mind. "Do you want to get rid of me?"

He looked unbelievingly. "You must be kidding me. Why would I want to 'get rid of you'? I love you. I don't want to lose you. I wouldn't survive losing you. Dumbledore just mentioned someone I knew a long time ago and a thought crossed my mind." He cupped her face and kissed her sweetly. "I don't want to, but I have to. And I'd rather not let Poppy brew it if she's really… fond of me. Who knows, maybe she'll turn us into toads as a sort of revenge…" he shuddered. "Just imagine."

Hermione sighed. "I know you're right. Let's send him an owl before I change my mind." She stood up and together they left for the Owlery. 

+~*#

Draco paced back and forth. He was in his own room (as Head Boy he had a room to himself) and thought about the conversation he'd heard earlier that evening. He'd have to talk to Professor Snape, that much was clear. The Granger girl had called him 'Severus'. And Professor Snape surely wouldn't allow her to address him in such an inappropriate manner. 

And how the hell did she know the password to his rooms? Snape hadn't even told him – and he was Head Boy and a Slytherin. If there was a student who would have been bound to know, it was him – so why tell a dirty mudblood instead? He shook his head. It just didn't make any sense. Professor Snape didn't trust her more than him, did he? No, that was impossible. His father and Professor Snape had been very close for a long time and he surely wouldn't betray an old friend's son for a mudblood. Definitely not. 

He didn't know what Professor Snape was suffering from. If it was whatever the Granger girl had, it couldn't be that bad – or physical. She'd looked pretty healthy. 

He stopped pacing and changed into his night robes. It was just too late to make any good plans. He'd have to think properly about it – tomorrow

+~*#

"Ron! Open this door or I swear I'll blow it up!" Seamus was raging mad. "And I don't care if whole Hogwarts wakes from my shouting. I want in there, NOW. I have the right to sleep in my own bed. If you absolutely have to be such an arse, you can do it out in the Astronomy Tower or better still, the Quidditch pitch. But leave us out of it."

"Go. Away." Ron's voice came through the door. He didn't sound too impressed. 

"Listen, Ron", Harry said. "Seamus is right. You cannot lock us out of our own room. And to be honest, Seamus and Dean look livid. They _will_ blow up the door."

Seamus nodded, although Ron couldn't see it. He just wanted to sleep. He'd tried to get Ron to open the door for over 45 Minutes now. 

"Ron, I don't know why you are in there, and honestly, I don't care that much at the moment. But we left you alone all day. You had the room to yourself for how long? Almost twelve hours. I'm tired and I want to change and sleep. So if you don't open up now, I'll go straight to Professor Dumbledore and tell him and everyone else what a baby you are!" Dean grinned. That just had to get through. Ron Weasley couldn't stand to be the baby. Or so he hoped. 

Nothing happened at first. But then a low 'click' could be heard and the door opened. Ron lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. 

"About bloody time", Seamus grumbled and went over to his bed. Harry and Dean followed, closing the door behind them. Dean just stared at Ron for a while, but when he didn't react, Dean shrugged and changed into his pyjamas. 

"Hey, where's Neville?", Harry asked. 

"In the Common Room, sleeping." Seamus had changed and went to bed. Dean soon followed, closing the curtains of his four-poster.

Harry went over to Ron's still form and looked at his face. "Have you eaten today?"

"Yes, Mum", Ron answered dryly.

"But not much, right? I brought you something from the kitchens", Harry said and placed an apple, some sandwiches and a bottle of pumpkin juice on Ron's nightstand.

Ron didn't look away from the ceiling but said "Thank you" anyway. It didn't sound very sincere. 

"Well, if you need anything else… You know where to find me", Harry tried again to get a reaction from Ron. 

"Yeah." Ron closed his eyes. 

"I mean, if you need to talk or--"

"Harry!", Ron said suddenly. "Just leave me alone. I have to sort things out myself before I can think about sharing, _okay_? Besides, I think I have to talk to Hermione first. And now, goodnight!"

"G'night", Harry replied and changed, too. 

Soon, they were all asleep. Except for Ron. 

+~*#

First, he'd have to find out what exactly it was that kept Professor Snape from teaching. And to do so, he had to have an excuse for going into his chambers and see him.

Maybe he could make up something. Like a hurt student or a question about… well, he'd work something out.   

Second, he'd have to make up a time when to go. And he'd have to lose Pansy on the way. Lately, she seemed to cling to him even more than usual. He just hoped that this 'phase' would soon be over. 

Today, he was supposed to visit his father. He hated those visits. It was depressing enough to have someone like Pansy – a gropie, he thought muggles called it – who just wouldn't let him have a spare minute just to himself. That she didn't follow him to the bathroom was a blessing, really. In his opinion that girl was completely nutters. And he had a father in jail, accused for… well, many things. Luckily, the people on the street didn't know anything specific about his father's crimes, or he wouldn't be able to show his face in public anymore. 

'But I deviate', he thought. 'Concentrate on the problem at hand', he told himself.

However, he couldn't do it today. The visits always made him depressed. Those Dementors always brought up his worst memories and emotions and he didn't like it. He tried to make the visits as short as possible without offending his father. 'Not that he really cares…', Draco thought bitterly. 

Anyways, he'd probably stay in his room for the rest of the evening. So that left Monday. But on Monday was the Halloween Ball, and he had to attend. Pansy had somehow managed to make him promise to take her there. And a Malfoy never breaks a promise… well, if he can help it, anyway. Unfortunately, he saw no way out. It would be easier to got than to listen to her whine about it the rest of the year. 

Well, then it would be Tuesday. He'd go into Professor Snape's chambers and talk to him about his 'illness' and the mudblood's lack of respect. 

+~*#

Hermione knocked at the Headmaster's office door. 

"Come in", he called and she opened the door. Dumbledore stood next to Fawkes and was stroking the bird's head. Fawkes seemed to like it very much. "Ah, yes, Hermione. Glad to see you are in time. I have to go to London right after lunch. Ministry business", he explained.

She nodded. "What did you want to talk about, Professor Dumbledore?"

"Sit down." He moved behind his desk, leaving Fawkes sulking on his perch. "Tea? Biscuits?", he offered.

"No, thank you. I just had breakfast." Hermione sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs and leaned back. She was a little tired from being up early. She hadn't slept much. 

"Well, Hermione, what I wanted to talk about… I'm worried about your friend Ron. He locked himself in his dormitory for the whole day, causing a little row between himself and Misters Finnigan and Thomas. Mr. Potter was a little more understanding, of course."

Hermione bit her lip. "But why did he do that? It isn't as if we were dating", Hermione said pensively. 

"But does he know that? Are you sure that Ron doesn't think of you this way?", Dumbledore said and raised his eyebrows. His blue eyes were very serious. "Matters of the heart are complicated. Two people can talk about the same thing and mean completely different things. Maybe _you_ are sure you don't want to be romantically involved with Mr. Weasley. He, however, may think of your relationship as something mere than mere friendship – or hope so."

Hermione sighed. "I'm so sorry. I feel bad because I hurt him so much. " She shook her head. "But I told him in our last year that I wasn't in love with him. He'd been jealous because of Victor and was acting quite… possessively."

"But you aren't with Mr. Krum any longer. He maybe thinks you only said that because you already were in a relationship. And once you were… free again, he wanted to take his chance. But the potion came in his way." Dumbledore folded his hands and looked at her over his half-moon spectacles. 

"I broke up with Viktor after my fifth year. We were friends for some time afterwards, but he didn't have that much time to write, so we decided to stop writing each other. If Ron wanted to 'take his chance', why didn't he do so last year?" Hermione said, suddenly angry. After all, it wasn't her fault that Ron was maybe in love with her. 

"Maybe he was afraid of your reaction. Or he didn't even realize how much you mean to him – until someone else took you away from him", Dumbledore pointed out.

"But this isn't our fault. If he wants to blame someone, he should blame Neville. It was _his_ potion, after all. Severus and I can't help it. We even sent an owl to Arsenius Jigger to ask for the antidote so we wouldn't have to wait until Tuesday, or longer than that!" Hermione stood up and began pacing. Fawkes, who had been asleep, woke with a start and flew across the room, landing on Dumbledore's shoulder.

"There, there, Hermione. I'm sure Mr. Weasley doesn't blame you or Severus. But I'm afraid he won't be able to resume his Potion classes in this state of mind." Dumbledore stroked Fawkes head again, and the phoenix purred happily.

"But I have no idea how to solve this problem. Ron could never again act normal around Severus after all of this. He isn't like Harry or Ginny. They are more balanced and they have their moods under control, well, most of the time." Hermione stopped pacing and stared into the fire. "I just don't know what to do", she whispered.

"I do know a way to help Mr. Weasley and yourself", Dumbledore said hesitantly. "But I don't know if it's the best way to solve this. And I don't know in what way this could affect your friendship. Mr. Weasley's trust could be shattered to pieces", he warned.

"What do you mean?" Hermione turned around to face the Headmaster, the glimmer of hope evident on her face.

"I'm talking about a Memory Charm. I would perform a memory altering charm on Mr. Weasley and give him a plausible and harmless explanation as to why he had a bad day and why you and Severus missed a few classes. Of course, Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley would have to know about this, too." Dumbledore paused and added, "By the way, Hermione, are you still against a Memory Charm on yourself? And what about Severus?"

"We want to keep the memories", Hermione answered. "I have learned quite a lot these past days, and I got to know a different side of Severus. People understand him wrong all the time and I think he deserves more than just one understanding friend."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, you are probably right. Severus could need someone who knows about his past and can see past his mask of self-protection. Maybe you could be the friend he needs."

Hermione nodded. "Although I don't think he'll agree to that", she laughed. 

Dumbledore smiled. But a moment later, his eyes were serious again. "Hermione, I have to ask you to bring Mr. Weasley here once you and Severus took the antidote. If you wish, I can explain the circumstances to Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore." She sighed. "I just wish he'd never found out about this."

"You don't wish that it hadn't happened in the first place?", Dumbledore asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hermione blushed. "I don't know", she said. "Sir, I didn't mean to--"

"It's all right. You may go now, Hermione. I will see you when the antidote was taken", he said, still smiling.

She walked over to the door, but turned around once again. "Professor Dumbledore, sir?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome, my child. You're welcome." 

And with that he went over to the fireplace, threw some Floo Powder into it, yelled "Ministry of Magic" and was gone.

Hermione went back to the dungeons, glad that most students slept longer on Sundays so that she didn't meet anyone. 

"Hey Jude", she told the portrait and waited. 

"Sorry, wrong password", the man said, grinning. He seemed to enjoy this.

"What do you mean, 'wrong password'? It has to be 'Hey Jude'!" Hermione didn't understand this. Severus hadn't said anything about changing his password. And even if he had, he would have told her. That much was sure. When the portrait didn't want to reveal the passage to Severus' rooms, Hermione got impatient. "Okay, listen. You know me. Professor Snape wants to see me." Bravado shook his head, a complacent grin on his face. "Oh, come on. It's me, Hermione", she tried again. 

Bravado stopped grinning and made a face. Then the portrait swung aside and Hermione stepped inside. In the living room, she sat down beside Severus.

"What was that all about?", she asked. 

"Oh, I changed the password this morning. Now it's 'Hermione'", he said, grinning. "Do you like it?"

'That explains a lot', she thought. "But what will Dumbledore say? I don't think he would approve of that. He is very tolerate, really, and if he were any different we two would have spent the last few days tied to our beds, not able to move until we took the antidote. Do you think it's wise to push him any further?"

"I don't know, and I don't care at the moment. Did you say something about being tied to my bed?" He grinned slyly and kissed her passionately. 

"Nooo, I didn't, as you well know." 

He stood up and took her hand, leading her towards his bedroom. 

"Okay, first, I have to meet Ginny before lunch and second, how come that you don't ever get tired? I mean, you are… insatiable. And at your age… no offence. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it's just not normal, isn't it?", Hermione asked. 

Severus raised an eyebrow and seemed to think about it. "Okay, first, you will meet Ginny before lunch", he said then, matching her tone of voice almost perfectly just to tease her a bit. "And second, I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe that's part of the potion's effects. I'll research later. But right now, I don't really care."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. He was really not at all like the greasy git that was Professor Snape.

_A/N: Okay, the person who beta-ed this piece wanted to know what a gropie is. So for all of you who didn't get it: A gropie something between a groupie and a groping person (you know, the way Pansy always has to touch Draco…) And obviously Draco means to say 'groupie' but mixes it up (it's a muggle thing to say, after all). _

_The next chapter will be the last. But don't worry: I already have started with a sequel._


	12. We're Done Now

Chapter Eleven – We're Done Now

Hermione came back from a nice chat with Ginny in their Transfiguration classroom on Tuesday evening to find Severus in the living room, reading a letter. A tawny owl sat next to him, clearly waiting for something. 

"Oh, Hermione. Good that you're here. Could you take the owl to the window? I think she needs to go back to the Owlery. Arsenius sent his reply", Severus added absent-minded. The letter must have been fascinating. 

Hermione shrugged and took the owl into the bedroom. She opened the window and let the owl fly away. 

When she came back into the living room, Severus just finished reading the letter and handed it to her. He took the large envelope and found the crystal phial inside. 

Hermione looked down at the parchment.

_Severus, my dear old friend,_

_it's been a long time since I've heard from you last and I hope that your letters will come more frequently from now on. I would love to hear about your research projects. You have to tell me if my book is helpful in class. You are the most skilled Potions Master that teaches with it and you have to tell me: Do the students get along with it? Is the description of brewing clear enough for first years? Are the selected potions easy enough or too advanced for their age? _

_I know you wouldn't lie to me just to stay friends or not to hurt my feelings. I'm planning on writing another schoolbook about potions and could use your advice._

_About the potion you asked me to brew: It's ready and I send it to you with my best wishes for a successful curing. Whoever was unfortunate enough to be the victim of a Love Potion has my sympathy. You only have to heat the potion in the phial enclosed and – as you certainly know – it has to be drunk while still warm. _

_Sincerely, _

_Arsenius Jigger_

Hermione looked up. Severus was watching her. "I suppose we head over to the Potions classroom and prepare the antidote", she said. He nodded. 

They didn't talk while walking the short distance side by side. They both knew what they had to do – and they didn't like it.

+~*#

"Poppy, calm down", Dumbledore said. Madam Pomfrey was pacing in his office, hands clenched to fists and with a furious scowl. 

"No, I won't calm down, Albus. How could you let that happen? She's only a child and he's… he's… you know how he is. He will hurt her – maybe he has already hurt her." Madam Pomfrey shook her fist at no one in particular. "Besides, this is highly inappropriate. She's a student, for Merlin's sake!"

"I know that, Poppy. If you let me finish my explanation, I could give you a reason why I tolerated this 'relationship'", Dumbledore said, smiling calmingly. He stood up and walked over to Madam Pomfrey. He took her hand and let her to one of the armchairs in front of his desk. "Now, sit down and listen to me."

Reluctantly, Madam Pomfrey sat down on the edge of the armchair. 

"Good. Now, all of this started as an accident. Neither Miss Granger nor Severus intended to have a relationship. Mr. Longbottom accidentally created a strong Love Potion and Severus and Miss Granger had to surrender to it. It's very potent and it's not easy to overcome the strong emotions it creates. Both of them have tried, though. But the inevitable happened and they called for me. It is evident that both of them wanted to end the spell and they asked me to call you. But – as you know – you weren't available. The required antidote is a complicated and skill-demanding potion and no one at Hogwarts – except for you and the affected – is able to brew it. But they will receive the antidote in a few days, I suppose, and everything will be fine again", Dumbledore said. When Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth to say something, he raised his hand. "Wait, Poppy, I'm not finished. I know, of course, that Severus and Miss Granger's relationship is inappropriate. But if you could only see beyond that…" He sighed. "I know you know the facts. But you didn't see the two of them react to one another. Severus is much more open and balanced. He hasn't shouted for days. I'm aware that part of that is because of the potion's effects, but part of it is because of Miss Granger's presence. She's intelligent and has a thirst of knowledge not unlike Severus. They get along great and I've heard them talking about potions and research and scientific studies as if it were only small talk. So I decided to ignore the physical part of their relationship – which won't be a problem anymore once they took the antidote – and hope for a friendship to develop."

Madam Pomfrey just stared at him. "You can't be serious", she finally said. "Teachers and students aren't supposed to be friends."

"And why not?" Dumbledore's questioning eyes stared into Madam Pomfrey's. 

"Because… because students have to respect their teachers", she said. "How can Hermione possibly respect Severus any longer? After all, they… were very… intimate."

"Ts, ts, ts, Poppy. Jealousy doesn't suit you. I'm confident that, one day, you will understand the way I handled this situation and why I did so. For now, however, I wish from you to go to your rooms and leave Miss Granger and Severus alone until they received the antidote. As for the rest of the school year, I expect you to treat Miss Granger like everyone else, should she come to the Infirmary."

"Yes, sir", Madam Pomfrey replied. "May I go now?" She stood up.

"Yes, of course. Take a nice hot bath and a good night's sleep", Dumbledore said warmly.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and walked out of the room without another word. Dumbledore looked pensively at the door and sighed. Absent-minded he stroked Fawkes head and murmured, "No, jealousy doesn't suit you, Poppy."

+~*#

Outside of Dumbledore's office, Madam Pomfrey paused and then took off towards the dungeons.

+~*#

Draco sat next to Pansy on the sofa in the Slytherin Common Room, waiting for Goyle to arrive. 'I just hope that he doesn't mix everything up', Draco thought and stole a glance at his watch. Pansy didn't notice; she was again talking about a shopping spree with her mother and her older sister. 

Suddenly, a loud 'thud!' could be heard and Goyle stumbled into the Common Room. He seemed to be out of breath. 

"Draco", he gasped. "You… have to… come to… the boys' bathroom… in the fourth floor. One of our first years… he's being attacked by… some Gryffindors. They locked the door!"

He'd told Goyle to call him out to the boys' bathroom in the fourth floor so that he could escape Pansy and finally start his plan to find out what Professor Snape was suffering from and what that mudblood Granger was up to. 

"Why, thank you for telling me, Goyle. Pansy, I'm terribly sorry, but as Head Boy I have to go. I'll see you at breakfast." He headed for the door and was out of sight in no time. And, like he'd guessed, Pansy came running out of the Common Room, shouting, "Draco, wait for me. I love to see you handle things, especially when you get to punish Gryffindors." He shook his head. Pansy was one of the most simple creature he'd ever met – along with Crabbe and Goyle – and he just didn't understand why his father wanted him to marry her. If he was lucky, his father wouldn't be able to force him into this marriage – that depended on the length of his stay at Azkaban. He'd just have to think of a plan to get rid of Pansy. 

Still deep in thought, Draco arrived at the entrance to Professor Snape's quarters and was greeted with an unusual sight. Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts' mediwitch, stood in front of the portrait, cursing. The man in the picture just grinned and said, "Why, a lady such as yourself shouldn't know those words." He sounded very amused. 

Madam Pomfrey shot daggers out of her eyes at the portrait. "If you want to keep your place, you'd better shut up, or I'll depose you. Maybe a nice little spot in the attic, if you like", she said in a sugary voice. It sounded dangerous. Draco was used to Madam Pomfrey being rational and calm and in charge of everything at the Infirmary. To see her this… agitated seemed just completely wrong. She took a step towards the portrait. "I hear there are some ghouls up there that like to throw pretty portraits like yourself out of the highest towers. Maybe we won't ever find you again…"

Draco froze on the spot. Maybe this wasn't a good time to interrupt Madam Pomfrey. He could always come back later. He slowly walked back towards the stairs, keeping an eye on Madam Pomfrey. Unfortunately, he didn't see the suit of armour this way and walked straight into it. It made a loud, screeching noise and caught Madam Pomfrey's attention immediately. 

"Draco Malfoy", she spat. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak with Professor Snape", he said, straightening his composure. He was a Malfoy and surely wouldn't feel intimidated by a crazy witch threatening a portrait. 

"Hmpf", she snorted. "Good luck." She gestured for him to come forward. 

He stood in front of the portrait and tried the password he'd heard a few days earlier. Nothing happened. "Why doesn't it work? It's the password!"

"I thought so, too. Obviously, it has been changed in the last few days, maybe even today, because the Headmaster didn't mention it." Madam Pomfrey looked furious. 

"Why did you want to go into Professor Snape's chambers?", he asked, curious. 

"None of your business", she snapped. "But why did _you_ want to speak with him?"

"He's our head of house and there have been some fights in the last few days. It seems that the lack of his presence makes the students… more aggressive." Draco was surprised how plausible that sounded. Madam Pomfrey just grunted and turned away. 

"Come on. You are quite good at Potions, right?", she asked. Draco nodded. "Good, you can help me, then. I'll brew the antidote myself, right now. We'll see how much longer they'll--" She looked back over her shoulder. "Come on, Mr. Malfoy. I don't have all night. We need to go to the Potions classroom and brew an antidote for Professor Snape."

"Antidote?", Draco wondered. But he quickly followed Madam Pomfrey. Maybe he wouldn't have to talk to Snape to find out what he wanted to know.

+~*#

"So, that's it", Severus said. He extinguished the fire and filled the potion in two glasses. "We only have to drink it and everything will be back to normal." He sounded sad.

Hermione looked at the acid green liquid and hesitantly picked up one of the glasses. "How long will it take to work?"

"About an hour", Severus replied and picked up his glass. 

Simultaneously, they raised their glasses and downed the tasteless potion. Hermione shuddered. "It's cold", she exclaimed. 

Severus nodded. 

"But it says we have to take it while still warm!"

Severus nodded again. "It was still warm", he said. "Here, feel the glasses." He took her hand and handed her his glass. It was still warm. "It's how it works. The potion is still warm, but once inside the body, it cools down in seconds to eliminate the other potion. That's how antidotes work", he explained. 

"Feels strange." Hermione sat down on one of the tables while Severus cleaned the cauldron he used to heat the potion. 

"Hermione?" Severus had finished and came up beside her. She looked up. "I wanted to give you something. Before we…" He broke off and searched for something inside his robes. When he pulled out his hand, he held a little black cylindrical box. 

She took it and examined it closely. It was rather heavy and didn't seem to open. "What is it?", she asked. 

"You will see", he said mysteriously. "Whenever you need me, you can use it. It will lead you straight to me and open every door you come across. You just have to say 'lead me to Severus' and it will come to life. And if you are in danger, you can send it to me. Say 'get Severus' and it comes to alarm me. So keep it close to you."

"Oh, thank you", she said and hugged him closely.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you", he whispered into her hair. Reluctantly, he stepped back.

"I had a dream about us in this classroom, once", she said, smiling seductively. 

"Yes, I can remember that one." He smiled. 

"So tell me, Severus, what way would you like to spend the time until the antidote begins to work?" She began to play with a strand of her brown hair and licked her lips. "I could definitely use another happy memory."

Still smiling, he closed the distance between them and kissed her deeply. 

+~*#

Severus sighed. He held Hermione closer to his body and savoured every detail of her – her smell, the feeling of her skin, of her body next to his, the way she responded to him. 

They lay together on a blanket he had conjured up, still a bit sweaty and exhausted – in a good way exhausted. He could feel that the antidote had finally kicked in. He still liked Hermione – very much, in fact – but it wasn't all he could think of any longer. He managed to think of her as the student she was and not as the woman he loved. 

"So, the antidote works", stated Hermione. Her head still lay on Severus' shoulder, and she didn't move to change that. 

"I think so", he replied. "Maybe we should--"

He didn't get to finish the sentence because Madam Pomfrey and Draco Malfoy came in that moment. 

"What the hell are you doing in here?", Madam Pomfrey asked with a shrieking voice. Draco just stood there, shocked. 

Hermione and Severus were already covered in their robes, but it was evident that they were naked underneath. 

"Didn't you lock the door?", Hermione hissed and frantically tried to dress under her robe.

"Of course I did", Severus snapped back. "But remember, students wouldn't bother to come here after classes. And even if they would, if they found the door locked, they'd leave. None of the other teachers _ever_ come down here, except for Dumbledore. How should I have known I had to ward it additionally?"

Severus stood up and took out his wand. Madam Pomfrey and Draco just stood there, staring at them.  

"I'm sorry to do so, but I don't see another way", he said and pointed his wand at Madam Pomfrey and Draco. "Obliviate!"

Their expressions didn't change much. They still looked dumbstruck and confused, but now their eyes were glassy. 

"You two will forget everything that has to do with what you saw in here. You, Draco, will go back to your room and go to sleep. And you, Poppy, will go to your chambers and sleep, too."

Madam Pomfrey and Draco turned around and left without another word. Severus turned back to Hermione, who had finished getting dressed, and said, "I have to tell Dumbledore about this. Do you think you can go up to your dormitory alone?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. I have to get Ron, anyway. The Headmaster wants to alter his memory, too."

Severus nodded and collected his things. "I'll use Floo Powder and I will be gone before Mr. Weasley arrives."

For a few moments they stood there, looking at each other. 

"Hermione, I think it would be best if we didn't see each other except for classes, at least in the near future. But I would appreciate your help with some of my research projects in some weeks' time, when we have a little more… distance", Severus said. He walked over to Hermione and hugged her shortly. 

Hermione just nodded and walked out of the classroom. 

+~*#

Hermione paced in front of the gargoyle guarding Professor Dumbledore's office. She was waiting for Ron to return. Dumbledore would tell him that she and Severus had suffered from a Swelling Solution and that he'd had a bad day last Saturday because a prank some third year Slytherins had played on him. 

After what seemed like hours, the gargoyle moved aside and Ron stepped out. 

"Hey, Hermione. Glad to see your back to your normal size", Ron said and hugged her. Hermione smiled and sighed inwardly, relieved that everything seemed to be all right. "You have to tell me sometime what Professor Snape looked like. It's a pity you weren't allowed to take photos. I'd love to have one of him, with his head as big as a pumpkin." Ron laughed. "You are so quiet. Are you all right?"

"Yes", Hermione said. "I'm just a little tired. Let's go back to the Common Room."

"Okay."

Together they made their way towards Gryffindor Tower. Halfway up the stairs to the fourth floor, Ron nudged Hermione in the side. "Look", he whispered. "Snape!"

Hermione followed his gaze. Professor Snape stood a few feet away, talking to one of the portraits. "Let's just go before he notices us", Hermione whispered back. 

They went up the stairs, but Snape seemed to have heard them. He turned around and his eyes met Hermione's. 

"Mr. Weasley… Miss Granger", Snape said, snarling a little. "What are you doing here, at this time of the night?"

"I had to see Professor Dumbledore, and now we are on our way back", Ron said. 

"Well then, don't let me delay you", Snape said and stared at Hermione.  

Ron went down the next corridor before noticing that Hermione wasn't following. Maybe Snape wanted to harass her because she saw him bloated like a balloon, so he went back to check on her. 

Keeping a little distance, he cold hear what they were talking. But they didn't say a thing, just looked at each other. Until, finally, Snape lowered his gaze. 

"Goodnight, Miss Granger", he said without his menacing snarl. 

"Goodnight, Professor", she replied and walked away slowly. Snape followed her retreating form and then shook his head. He, too, turned and walked away. 

Ron stood there behind the column and thought about their strange behaviour. But then he shrugged and ran to catch up with Hermione. 

The End


End file.
